Oenomel
by Ink Child
Summary: The blood was pumping in her face so loud and hard she could feel it at the tips of her ears and at the edges of her lips, thumping with her heart. For sure she was red, the kind of red that you cannot get rid of unless you have a cooling shower, and not because she was embarrassed, although she was. She was also angry.
1. Chapter 1

**_...sorry. I realize there's a bunch of other stuff i probably should be doing *cough* paint with words *cough* Into the Black *cough* Meet Cute *couch*_**

 ** _But sometimes, I just dont care._**

 ** _Much love,_**

 ** _Inky_**

 ** _P.S_**

 ** _I was in a mood while writing this. There's more swearing in it than usual. Sorry-not sorry- etc._**

* * *

The trees outside had turned into a solid ice sculpture. Each whimsical tendril of life was encased in the freezing touch of winter and she wondered if the wind blew through it if it would jingle like glass.

Jaw tight she tried to draw strength from the ice, wondering if it could like the tree encase her and keep her face still, calm, impassive.

Staring out through the whispering steam rising from the library building she could see them standing at the window. Her friend had her back to her, and was leaning up to look closely at the blonde, his blue eyes not just fixated.

Enamored. That was the word. He was enamored.

They said something, back and forth, a tennis game of sounds and then he reached up and rubbed his neck sheepishly. His laughter rang out and bounced off the glass, leaving her in the silence of the falling snow and melting ice, without it touching her ear drums.

The warmth of the library beckoned. It was the coldest day in winter and she had not thought she would be standing outside like an icicle staring instead of heading indoors, but there she was, five minutes into turning to stone.

Her back pack slipped slowly off her shoulder and she heard it hit the snow covered ground with a muted crunch of icy water.

Startled to feel heat traipsing down her cheeks she reached up and winced, the icicle composure she was trying so hard to hold on to cracking at the feel of tears on her face.

"No." She wasn't sure what she was referring to. It could have been the tears, out in public where anyone who happened to come along could see, or perhaps the way that her friend leaned in to the blonde in the window, making his escape impossible between her and the book shelf behind her.

She watched, the way one would observe a plane coming to crash upon the earth with her heart still in her chest and the air sucked out of her lungs as his mouth disappeared beneath the other girl's lips.

At the contact she turned around, and ran, shedding the cold of the ice and the snowflakes that tangled in her hair as she waited for her dream to end, abandoning her bag to the furious touch of winter.

* * *

Walking out of the library into the bite of the the ice actually made him shiver for once. It wasn't typical of him to feel the weather much. He was usually too focused, head phones on, eyes down, reading or in some cases sketching out something that caught his eye and held it. The weather, unless being put into his sketchbook by his pencils and pens was hardly noticeable enough.

Today was a different kind of day however. The wind had been blasting like it was trying to freeze hell and with it in the evening came the furious flight of snow, first fat and thick like feathers on the wind and then the sharp biting almost hail that meant business.

Shuddering a little he raised the collar of his shirt against the nibbling breeze and started down the campus library steps, carefully avoiding the traps of slippery ice that had accumulated on some of the corners.

"Sasuke!" Behind him the loudest being in existence burst out of the library behind him, shattering the surreal stillness of the winter night.

If Sasuke was born in the quiet of twilight, Naruto had been born in the dizzying explosion of midday fireworks. Like a sunbeam he scampered down the stairs after his best friend and room mate, managing to nearly kill himself on several of the icy bits until he was grabbing him in a hug that pinned both of Sasuke's arms to his sides as he picked him up and gave him a shake.

Looking bored Sasuke waited for the jostling to stop. "Dobe, for fucks sake." He grumbled and Naruto rattled him one more time for good measure, practically shaking in his boots and clearly not from the cold. It took a lot to get Naruto blushing, and his face looked like it had walked headlong into an open rouge powder in that moment.

"She kissed me!" He took Sasuke's shoulders and shook him hard, rattling his headphones from his ears and his back pack from his shoulder onto the ground with a clatter.

"Naruto, stop it." Sasuke tried to say calmly, but the shaking was making his voice come out like his teeth were chattering. Giving his friend a push back for some much needed personal space he sighed. "What are you talking about?"

"Sakura! She just kissed me, holy crap... I never thought that would happen." The look of actual disbelief on his face attributed to that fact and Sasuke just wrinkled his eyes at him a little, his version of a smile. "Good for you." He muttered flatly, moving to pick up his bag again only to have Naruto's hands grabbing his lapels and shaking him again.

"Do you realize what this means!?"

Sasuke let his eyebrow form an almost quizzical expression while forcefully restraining one of his fists from slamming into the blue eye nearest to it.

"I... Naruto Uzumaki... have Sakura Haruno...as my girlfriend. My willing. Self appointed girlfriend."

There could not have been a more ecstatic person on the planet in that moment and Sasuke let out a sound that was equal parts relieved sigh and consternation. "Fantastic. Congratulations."

Keeping his eye on the blonde in question he picked his back pack off the ground and slung it on his shoulder again. "I have to go, if I don't sleep at least part of the night I will be writing a contemporary artists test in the morning with nothing but hope."

"How can you possibly talk about sleeping?" Naruto looked incredulous, eyes wide, hair standing on end against the beat of the snow coming down. "We're going to get some beers, we're not sleeping!"

"No, Naruto, I really can't-" Sasuke's attempt was cut off by the swift pull of his arm getting nearly ripped out of his socket while Naruto stormed away, phone to his ear as he called Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba, Shino, anyone it seemed who might be interested in having a beer. Even if they didn't really care about the new relationship that the blonde had finally wriggled himself into.

Sighing, Sasuke allowed himself to be kidnapped. He supposed at least one of them should celebrate a lack of loneliness.

* * *

"I found it."

Tenten dumped the soggy mess of a backpack on their couch and sighing walked over to where Hinata was laying in bed. Their tiny dorm room had barely enough room for the two twin beds, a coffee table and couch and their desks. Besides that there was a lot of shelves that had literally everything they owned, from undies to the small cactus flowering in the pot next to Hinata's bed. Beautiful, yet potentially painful. Like Naruto.

The owner of the cactus didn't bother raising her head. Cocooned in her covers she breathed in deeply and let out a wet shaky breath. "Sorry, Tenten. I just... couldn't go back and get it...what if they were... what if I..."

"No, no." Tenten shook her head at her and slumped on her own bed, pressing a fist to her forehead with dislike. "No way, I wouldn't have wanted you to go get it either. I'm sorry, Hinata." She sighed and wandered around the bed to see her face half hidden in the blankets.

"You know... it probably wouldn't have been so bad if you had just got the courage to tell him, you know?"

Hinata didn't raise her eyes up, dazedly she looked out and sighed. The truth didn't feel any better than her current reality which was one in which Naruto Uzumaki the crush she had had since first day of first year at Konoha U was now dating one of her closest friends. She should have talked to him. She should have at least tried.

But Hinata wasn't great at even looking at the opposite sex, let alone speaking with them and so despite having close mutual friends she had ended up here. Three years in and still pining. Still just "Sakura's friend, Hinata."

"I'll be fine." She murmured quietly, and Tenten's brown eyes softened. "Of course you will. You're a Hyuuga. You're tough as nails underneath all that pretty." She smiled and rubbed her shoulder over the cover of her white duvet. "He's a great guy, Hinata. I don't blame you for crushing, just don't let it overwhelm you, k?"

"...I think I'm past overwhelmed." Hinata mumbled, feeling pathetic. A deep breath later she pressed her face into her pillow and pictured them in the library window, smiling at each other until their mouths met.

Well what had she been expecting anyway? He didn't really know her so the chances of him even having an opinion on her were pretty low. And he had been rather vocal about Sakura... for ages.

Shuddering a little she buried deeper into the mattress and decided out loud so her room mate could hold her accountable. "I'm giving myself 24 hours to feel sorry for myself."

"Oh?" Tenten grinned, knowing if Hinata was putting a deadline on the thing then that would be it. There was nothing that inspired her to get her butt in gear like deadlines.

"Yes. 24 hours, as of right now. And then... I'm over it." The sentence had started off solid, determined and calm, and by the end of "over it" had become increasingly soggy with tears.

"24 hours, Hina-chan." Tenten sighed, rubbing her shoulders again over the fabric. "Go ahead and cry." So Hinata sobbed, and decided she was having cinnamon rolls and ice cream for dinner.

* * *

This was the worst hangover of his life.

Head pounding and feeling more cross eyed than usual he stared up at the ceiling and wondered why it was so damn bright out. Who had approved the use of sunlight on a Tuesday? Not him, that's who.

"Fucking asshole." He grumbled, rolling onto his side and glaring at the snoring blonde half dressed in the bed across the room from him. He looked dead, except for the deep heavy breaths that were raising and lowering his chest rhythmically. For a moment Sasuke pondered if he could just put a pillow over that face and press...nah.

It'd be too quiet without the occasional screaming from the loud mouth.

Drawing in a deep breath he looked around, catching sight of the clock on his nightstand and freezing.

"No." He told it, determined it should listen. "No. You're wrong."

And in a huff he launched off his bed, scampering to change and grab his bag, throwing a textbook as he opened their dorm room door on the smooth relaxed stomach of his room mate.

The grunt of air and the gasped breathless curses from the blonde were payment enough for the hangover. "You're going to be late, you moron!" He shouted and slammed the door closed before sprinting down the hall, hoping he was fast enough to get to his test on time.

Five minutes later he realized. He was not.

"Damnit." He hissed, biting one of his knuckles as he stared at the closed door of his class. For a moment he considered going in there, begging for forgiveness and doing the test way too fast to get a proper grade.

But he was Uchiha, and taking a breath reminded him how begging was simply not part of the repertoire for his breed. Also, there was the distinct smell of liquor on his breath and probably on his person. He had the vague recollection of someone throwing up last night although he was pretty sure it wasn't him.

Well, since he had nowhere to be, he could go back to his dorm and do something awful to Naruto's stuff as payback. That might just cheer him up.

A sound made him jump in the dimly lit hall and surprised he looked down at himself, realizing rather quickly that the wind chimes he was hearing were coming from him, somehow.

"What the...?" Quietly he examined himself, touching his pockets and turning in a half circle before realizing it was coming from his back pack.

Puzzled he brought the item to the front and paused, seeing the ramen bowl key chain that Naruto had put on his zipper was gone...and the bag itself looked cleaner...and smelled like...girl.

Feeling a headache coming to land on top of his already pulsing one he ripped the straps of the gray bag open and rummaged inside.

"Shit."

This was not his back pack. There was a water bottle in teal blue, a stack of books, all of them for History and Literature and several notebooks in various sizes, as well as hair bands, chapstick and at the bottom, glowing in the dark, a bright white cell phone with the Kanji for Peace across the back in swift strokes of black.

In his half inebriated state he let out a groan. "No." How had he managed to grab someone else's bag? And from where?

Confusedly he looked around, as though his own things would suddenly materialize at his need and he could dump the back pack on his shoulder and be done with it. Finding nothing, he turned back to the now silent phone, flicking the screen on and finding nothing but apps and a pale purple screen looking back at him, the icon for texts flashing bright.

Licking his lips he opened the icon and peered at the last number to send a message.

It was his number.

"What?" Frowning he patted down his pockets again and realized he had not looked at his phone since the library. "Ugh." Shaking his head he began to walk back to his dorm, rubbing his face as he opened the text.

 _ **Hi, I hope that whoever reads this has my back pack as well as my cell phone... I am not sure how I got your stuff, but I have it here.**_

And then, after that, making his heart stop.

 _ **Your sketchbook is full of very beautiful things.**_

Up until that point, Sasuke Uchiha had been a good sport about the entirety of the day, and the evening preceding it. Now fuming he stormed out of the building, heading to his dorm to tear through the bag on his shoulder.

No more mister nice guy.

* * *

"Wow." Hinata breathed softly. Laying in bed looking up at the sketchbook in her hand the light of the winter sun filtering over the pages only made the image drawn on the surface even more amazing. A pair of brilliant dark eyes stared at her, the rest of the face hidden by fabric with folds that covered up to the nose and brows. It didn't matter that it was such a small thing to look at, there was detail even in the way the lashes fell from the eye, the way that the moisture condensed at the corners making you wonder if maybe the person hiding their face was about to cry.

She had originally checked the book to see if there was a name somewhere but was disappointed and after searching the phone realized her one hope was to get in touch with whoever had her cell phone. Hopefully it happened to be the person who took her bag too, and lost theirs. The bags did look almost identical, pale worn gray and with leather buckles at the front.

The dark phone buzzed beside her and curiously she rolled onto her tummy, kicking her legs as she carefully closed the sketchbook and peered at the screen. Instantly she felt her face heat through like she was suddenly hit with a vicious fever and gasping sat up.

 _ **I don't recall allowing you to look through my things. But since permission isn't required, I'm just going to have a quick look through the notebooks in here. Specifically the two that are marked Private.**_

"Oh no."

Her fingers could not type fast enough. First it was an apology and then, as a bit of the Hyuuga spitfire began to pump through her veins she deleted it and demanded they not do such an awful thing, and then, remembering that this person now held her books hostage she back tracked, considered apologizing and then just floundered, staring at the phone like it was betraying her.

Sucking in a deep breath she moved her hands slowly, carefully.

 _ **I am sorry if I offended you, I will not look through it any more. I was looking for a name. Please do not pry in my things.**_

She waited with bated breath, trying to remember which of her journals had been in that back pack. Frantically she scrambled to her feet and began to tear through her drawers and shelves, searching for the bright blue and green notebook with the peacock on the front that was her diary.

It was rare that she ever took that out and about but lately things were not going her way so...

"Yes!" she gasped, and finding it tucked between two of her textbooks on her shelf she hugged the item to her chest, bouncing up and down like a maniac.

A burr of vibration drew her eyes back to the black phone on her bed and she grabbed it, sinking back onto her tummy with a bit less panic.

 _ **Open and close, eyes broken blue**_

 _ **Skies of the heavens, seeking for you**_

 _ **There's nothing and everything between those two lips**_

 _ **Speaking and sighing and wishing**_

 _ **And nothing is amiss**_

Recognizing one of her poems Hinata gasped, clutching at her chest like she had been stabbed. And then the real killing blow came after, vicious and to the point.

 _ **You call this poetry?**_

The blood was pumping in her face so loud and hard she could feel it at the tips of her ears and at the edges of her lips, thumping with her heart. For sure she was red, the kind of red that you can't get rid of unless you have a cooling shower, and not because she was embarrassed, although she was.

She was also angry.

With trembling fingers she pulled the sketchbook back onto her lap, flipping past the first few pages she had gazed at, looking for flaws, and although finding none stopped at the image of a tree that was half finished. Without giving herself time to think she pulled the cell phone up and took a picture.

For a moment she hesitated, wondering what would happen.

 _ **You call this poetry?**_

Deciding to go ahead anyway she sent the picture and added a message, frowning a little, ignoring the knot in her throat threatening to make her cry.

 _ **Don't make me finish this for you in crayon. I am a terrible artist.**_

* * *

He stared.

As he stared his room mate waltzed in the door and let out a snort at the look on his face. "You look sick. Can't handle a couple beers? What's the matter?"

"N...nothing." Sasuke managed, tossing the phone on his bed and throwing his pillow over it and all the contents of the backpack spilled on the blanket.

Whoever had his things was more evil than he had anticipated. Finishing one of his drawings in crayon was like mutilating one of his children. It had taken him over 8 hours to get the tree where it was and it would take another 8 likely to get it to where he deemed it passable. He wasn't a meticulous person for nothing so if someone touched crayon on that paper...

"Yo." Naruto put a hand on his shoulder, studying his face with more care. "Are you okay?"

"Yes." Sasuke rubbed his face and stood up. "Just... thinking." Then remembering the way his day had gone so far he gave his friend a shove that sent him nearly out the door. "I missed my test because of you, by the way."

"Aw damn." Naruto grunted as he caught himself. "I'm sorry... except for you're a grown ass man and should be able to set an alarm, ya know?"

An alarm. Sasuke grimaced. He had not had his phone so, naturally, slightly intoxicated Sasuke had decided to screw it and go to sleep.

"It was fun though, last night." The blonde flashed him a grin and began dumping his books on his desk by his side of the bed. "Thanks for coming with."

"Hn." Sasuke muttered, rummaging around under the pillow until he pulled up the phone and froze, trying as hard as he could not to gasp as another picture of his sketchbook with a 100 piece box of crayons on top of it came onto the screen.

"I'm taking Sakura out today, Itachi was saying there was a really nice restaurant that just opened down town, do you know what it's called?"

His friend kept on going and Sasuke muttered something half intelligible in reply, typing on the phone as fast his fingers would go.

 _ **You would not dare. I will find out who you are, I will hunt you down and end you.**_

"Hello, earth to Sasuke?" Naruto peered at him over his shoulder as he rummaged in their closet.

"Fuck." Sasuke whispered, staring at the reply, which was another picture with the crayon box open and his sketchbook at the page of the tree he had agonized over for hours and a question below.

 _ **Should it have cherry blossoms or green leafs?**_

"What is that?" Naruto's hand on his shoulder made him jump and the phone nearly fell out of his grip, making him flail to catch it.

"What are you up to?" The blonde's voice took on a teasing tone that made Sasuke's eyebrows twitch. "Let me see."

"No."

"Sasuke."

"Dobe, back off."

"All right, well. I asked." Naruto shrugged and moved to turn away. Sasuke relaxed for a moment, until the full weight of his 180 pound football scholarship room mate slammed into his chest and down they went on the bed in a tangle of arms and legs as he wrestled him for the phone.

Swearing and other creative forms of profanity ensued until Shikamaru opened the door, looking exhausted as usual and peered at them.

"Nothing out of the ordinary!" He shouted down the hall as he slammed the door closed, Choji sighed with relief, he had been pretty sure that the duo was finally killing each other.

It wasn't often that either of them won, usually one or the other would run out of time to waste in a wrestling match and they would call it quits, but occasionally someone would have the upper hand. Like when one had a worse hang over than the other, for instance.

In this case, Naruto had to sit on top of Sasuke's back, pinning his arms with one hand and peering at the phone in his hand with another, squinting.

"Is that your sketchbook? That's that damn tree you keep looking at by the library!"

"Get off me. I will pass out." Sasuke threatened, a little annoyed and starting to see spots.

Sliding off like it was no biggie Naruto flipped up on the conversation, studying the texts with a growing Cheshire cat grin. "Oh man you fucked up."

"Ugh!"

"You did. This person has your sketchbook hostage and you told them their poetry sucked." He turned to look at him. "Here I thought you were smart."

"Give me the phone." Sasuke grumbled, still flat on his bed, feeling more like a pancake and less like a person. Unlike his thicker more muscular counterpart he was the running and swimming type and despite having a black belt was still feeling the effects of his friend's girth on his rib cage.

"How did they get your stuff?" Naruto blinked, tossing the phone at him. "Is this an angry fangirl?"

"I have no idea. But... I have their junk so I'm guessing mistake."

"Hm." Naruto smirked at him as he threw on a clean shirt. "So, because you're not going to ask my advice I'm just going to tell you, and save your sketchbook."

"Tch." Sasuke glared, but didn't interrupt.

"Apologize."

"Ugh."

"Say you're sorry and that you actually found the poems really interesting which is why you were looking at them, and please do not hurt my sketchbook." He made a pout face. "Pretty please."

Sasuke stared at him, unmoving. "Jesus, please never look like that again."

"Copy that. No, but seriously." He nodded at the phone. "They sounded like a nice person. Until you messed it up."

Frowning a little Sasuke scrolled up and stared at the first messages he had received.

 _ **Your sketchbook is full of very beautiful things.**_

"Beg." Naruto pointed at him, throwing on his jacket before stepping out the door. "Beg for mercy." And he was gone, leaving Sasuke to stare at the phone as it vibrated, four crayons showing on the screen.

 _ **Pink, purple, green or grass green? That's what the crayon says, grass green. I'm not making it up.**_

Smirking a little at that he sighed and wincing began to type.

 _ **Please don't hurt my tree.**_

* * *

 **Part one of hopefully two.**

 **Hopefully. But we all know how I can never seem to do one shots or two shots properly. So we shall just call it Part One.**

 **leave me some love, ne?**

 **Inky**


	2. Chapter 2

_**I'm having fun with this. Just saying**_

 _ **Oh flamer dear, you're back. YOU LEARNED NEW WORDS! You should have seen me when I saw your comment. I honestly sat up (I was almost asleep in bed) and I was so excited I actually got up and wrote this. As for the meds- how do you know I don't take them? And the virgin comment, again? It's the only critique I have of your flame. Over all it had a fresh new outlook, but the virgin comment is just out of left field. For one, I have kids so unless I'm a new saint I don't think that's an accurate insult- also being a virgin is not so bad, ya know? I figured you were one and that's why you were so down on them because you'd rather not be. There is someone out there for you! Someone awful and mean spirited who will match you and fill that void. Believe in it. Dream!**_

 _ **Ahem. Anyway, here's part two of I don't know how many**_

 _ **Much love,**_

 _ **Inky**_

* * *

 _"What?"_

Neji's tone through Tenten's phone was flat, like a piece of glass and Hinata sighed deeply. "Neji-nii... I just have to-"

 _"Don't do it without me- in fact don't do it at all. I will do it."_

"But!" Hinata gasped, sitting up straight. "You're not back for a week!"

 _"It's not safe."_

"It will be on campus, I'll take Tenten with me!"

 _"Hinata. The only reason that Uncle Hiashi is okay with you attending Konoha U is because I am there to keep you safe, if not he would have much preferred that you go to a University closer to home, so if you're not going to listen to my instructions on something I deem could potentially be dangerous then-"_

"Okay!" Hinata's little voice sounded squeaky and she berated herself for a moment before flopping onto Tenten's bed and burying her face into the covers as her friend watched, eye brow raised.

 _"Good. I will be back shortly and you can tell whoever it is that wants to meet you that I will be returning their items to them and getting yours then."_

"...Nii-san." Hinata sighed.

 _"Hinata."_

"Yes. Yes, I will do that." She mumbled. "Bye, Neji-nii."

 _"Good bye."_

Hanging up she peered at Tenten, who smirked. "I love the over protective thing he has going on for you and Hanabi, Hina-chan." She fanned herself dramatically. "It's so chivalrous."

"I needed my stuff for class tomorrow." Hinata sighed, pressing her palm to her forehead to block out the slight blush on Tenten's face. She was joking, mostly about her cousin being cute but she also wasn't. Whenever he popped by she would wander over and even after finishing whatever he had needed to do Neji was lingering longer and longer without even needing to. It didn't make her uncomfortable so much as confused. Like finding out someone other than her deceased mother was attracted to her father. The thought gave her a full body shudder.

"Well, what do you need in there?"

"My journals are in there with ideas for the creative writing project for my Lit class." She whispered. "I'm so silly that I left my bag out there. What was I thinking?"

"You were thinking heart break." Tenten smiled, patting her head and looking around. "Although, you look like you're taking it in stride. I only see one thing of ice cream and you didn't even finish that dozen cinnamon rolls."

"Oh." Hinata sat up and peered into the night out the window. She had not really had anything substantial to eat since yesterday afternoon at lunch, since then she had lived off of a personal tub of cookie dough ice cream and the half ignored cinnamon rolls on the shelf. Suddenly her tummy gave her a kick for attention. "Ah." She sighed, putting a hand on it to quiet the grumbling. "I should probably go down to the cafeteria... They have the fruit and stuff out late don't they?"

"I think the salad bar is open late, and maybe the fruit stand yeah." Tenten nodded. "But I gotta go deal with Lee, hun. Do you want me to bring something up with me or are you going to go for a walk to clear the cobwebs?"

Hinata pondered, eyes lingering on the black phone and sketchbook on the bed. Could she disobey her cousin and meet whoever it was they belonged to?

Sighing she stood. "I'll go. I should get out of the room. I've been here for nearly-"

"24 hours." Tenten cut in, and flashed her a smile. "Seemed to work. Next time I'm heartbroken I'm following your example."

Curiously Hinata pondered that, rubbing at her collarbone as if looking for the pang in her chest. There was a tightness in her belly that she wasn't sure was hunger or feelings but she didn't feel like crying and that was a step in the right direction at least.

"All right, I gotta get out of here though or Lee will come looking and he is so loud and Ino is going to hear him and get all irritable down the hall." She mumbled, grabbing her jacket and throwing it on as she opened the door. "You good?"

Smiling a little thoughtfully as she sat on her bed Hinata nodded at her, hands fluttering over the white blankets to the darkness of the phone in it's folds, listening to the vibration of another text. "Oh, yes, thank you."

"See you in a bit." Tenten waved, heading out the door and Hinata stared at it's closed surface for a moment before bringing the phone to her face.

 _ **I don't usually share my artwork with anyone but my professor until it's finished. My sketchbook has never been looked at by someone I do not know. I think you startled me.**_

Hinata stared, pondering this. The request for mercy had stayed her hand, and then the apology about her poem had made her irritated enough to stop replying. Curiously she read it again.

 _ **I think you startled me.**_

"Hm." She cocked her head at it, pondering. And then, another message popped up, making her actually crack a smile in disbelief.

 _ **The poem is actually quite good.**_

"You liar..."

Biting her lip she lay down on her back, legs crossed as she stared at the screen. Whoever it was had the nerve to actually try to butter her up. Is this what Ino and Sakura called a flake? She couldn't remember but it felt like the word might fit. Still feeling cheeky from her victory with the crayons she typed out a quick reply and then tossed the phone before letting the nerves get under her skin. Gathering her things quickly she ran to the shower where she wouldn't hear it vibrate with a reply.

* * *

 _ **I don't even have to hear your voice to know you're trying to butter me up. Is this something they teach in Visual Arts? Hostage negotiation?**_

Sasuke's dark eyes crinkled at the corners again, he eyed the screen of the phone with it's message flaring in the dim light of his dorm room and pondered the reply. His books were spread out all over the desk surface and he had been trying for several hours to ignore the fact that the other person had stopped replying after begging them not to hurt his tree.

Finally after agonizing most of the day trying to do what homework he could without his sketchbook he had sent the next message, surrendering his Uchiha pride for the sake of his visual arts grade.

How did they know he was lying? To be honest he couldn't know if the poem was good or bad, he had no reference for that. Poetry made little sense to him no matter who wrote it whether Shakespeare or Rilke or this anonymous person.

Girl. He glanced at the items in the bag again. Most likely the person was a girl. He didn't know a lot of guys that carried different kinds of chapstick hair bands and a hello kitty sticker strip he had found in the pencil case.

For some reason... besides the obvious weirdness of the items in the bag... he didn't like the idea of it being a guy.

Cautiously he picked up the cell phone again and carefully arranged several replies in his head before typing out.

 _ **You butchered my tree didn't you?**_

He sent it and sat, slouched in his chair with the phone in his hand, waiting, knee vibrating in a way that was making him think maybe he was nervous.

He waited, and waited. This person was driving him insane. His eyes lingered out his window to the darkening sky and a grumble from his stomach made him stand, trying to think back on whether or not he had eaten that day.

Frowning he glanced at the rice balls he had half munched on during the afternoon and then abandoned when the sketchbook napper didn't reply to his original pleas for mercy.

Letting out an anxious breath he stood and headed out the door, cell in hand as he threw his jacket on. He needed some tomatoes.

* * *

Coming back clean and no longer stained with tears on her cheeks Hinata stretched, feeling the joints in her shoulders pop delightfully. Towel draped over her wet hair she wandered into her room and glanced at the phone on her bed.

Turning away pointedly she brushed out her long hair, plugging in her dryer, her pale eyes lingering in the mirror on the reflection of the phone sitting innocently on the covers, a light blinking on it's black face signalling a message.

Without giving herself time to disagree with her decision she walked over and picked it up, feeling the slow smile crawl over her face at the text.

 _ **No, although it was touch and go for a bit there.**_

She stared at it, unable to keep the blush from rising to her cheeks even as she sent it.

 _ **But I am sorry to say, I will have to keep the hostage for another week.**_

Wincing at that last bit she glanced at the sketchbook sitting innocently on her pillow.

"Please don't hate me."

* * *

"A week." Frowning he stared at the phone as he pushed the tray with his salad along the counter lining the salad bar trays. Could he survive without his sketchbook for a week? Was she actually asking for a ransom or something?

 _Calm down, calm down. Just... play along._

 _ **Why a week? Don't you need the things I have too?**_

Tossing an unsightly amount of tomatoes on his salad he practically threw the change into the cashiers hand and slumped at the nearest table, glaring at the phone to talk. Surprising him, it did.

 _ **It's a little bit embarrassing but I am not allowed to meet with you.**_

Not allowed.

This was getting weird. For a moment he wondered if there was a way he could track his phone but he had never set up anything like that on it before. Partly because he never lost his phone and also because if there was a way to track him down his brother would. Always at the most inopportune times.

Deciding to be pointed- a decision he made more regularly than any other- he asked flat out.

 _ **You're not allowed?**_

 **It's complicated.**

 _ **I kind of need my stuff.**_

 **Me too, believe me. I'm sorry.**

 _ **I could meet you right now even.**_

Something about that last text made him hesitate to press send, hands hovering over the button. Shifting uncomfortably he sent it anyway and pushed the phone aside as though to ignore it, pulling his salad up close, aware of the lack of vibration from the device to his right like it was a lack of breath in a body.

Finally after two long bites the table shuddered with the next message.

 _ **I'm really sorry, but I can't.**_

Sasuke stared, torn between a weird relief and irritation. "Damn." He muttered, attempting to rouse himself to the irritation camp of the feeling in his chest.

Behind him someone jumped and he glanced back. Black eyes met pale Hyuuga and he watched as the dark haired girl whose name he could not remember flushed scarlet at his gaze and turned away instantly.

Rolling his eyes he turned back around to the phone, cradling it in his hands as he pondered what to say next.

The cafeteria was rarely empty, and even late at night as it was right then there were handfuls of students here and there lounging in chairs chatting, sipping at the worst coffee he had ever had in his life.

Behind him at the salad bar was the only other person, the Hyuuga girl, that was alone and without looking at him she sat down on the other end of the cafeteria, her wet hair pulled up in a high bun, black bangs framing her face and the pink on her pale cheeks.

He knew her name, he was sure of it because she was Sakura's friend and Sakura had for the larger part of his University career been either hanging off of Naruto or him. But it was failing him now, and as he glanced over he watched her nibble on some vegetables and fruit idly, her baggy white sweater hiding her form from view.

So long as she didn't start a conversation with him he was fine. He wasn't sure if she was part of his stupid fan club but it seemed to be growing all the time and being attacked alone like this without Naruto as a buffer always made him uncomfortable. Or at least more so than usual.

 _ **Fine. I suppose it can't be helped.**_ He stared at his text again, once more hesitating. Did that sound angry? Or upset?

He pictured his tree covered in crayon and had to close his eyes against the image in his mind.

 _ **Can I read some of the poetry though?**_

Was that less wishy washy than his last text trying to butter her up? He frowned, pressing send anyway. He had never been great at this, it was as close to effort as he was going to get. Why pretend otherwise.

He heard the vibration of a cell and moved to pick up the one in front of him only to blink in surprise, realizing it wasn't his, but that girl's from the other side of the mostly empty room. He watched her jump a little at the sound and take the cell phone in her hands, hiding it under the table as she studied it.

What was her name again? He frowned a little. It was some sort of flower thing. No, maybe something else...

"Hinata!" Someone called from the other side of the cafeteria and the girl jumped again, turning to look over her shoulder at two people walking towards her, the girl's brown twin buns on her head and the bushy eyebrows of the other made Sasuke cock his head, picturing them for a moment as cartoons he could sketch out in five minutes flat.

Distracted suddenly by another shake of the phone in his grip he stood up and headed out the door, leaving his empty plate at the counter for the cleaners without bothering to look back.

 _ **Why would you want to read bad poetry? Don't torture yourself.**_

He smirked.

 _ **Maybe I'm a masochist.**_

* * *

 _ **I don't think you'd be so scared of crayons if you were.**_

The words were coming fast and furious now and Hinata was surprised. Walking along behind Tenten and Lee towards their dorm in the freezing wind of the campus she shivered, burying her nose into the high neck of her white poncho sweater, wishing she had instead grabbed a jacket like a normal person.

"Your hair is all wet, you're going to catch a cold." Tenten threw back at her over the whisper of the wind rattling the tree popsicles that lined the paths.

"I'll be fine." Hinata replied absently, not paying attention, looking down at the shiver of the phone in her hand.

 _ **True. The crayons did have a certain terrifying quality that I haven't encountered before.**_

"What are ya up to?" Lee asked, glancing back at her as well. "You seem happy."

Hinata blinked at him and his way too broad smile, eyes flickering to Tenten who was studying her with a raised brow. Only 24 hours ago she had been sobbing about heart break and now here she was distracted and smiling like an idiot at a cell phone. She didn't have to know crazy to recognize it.

"I'm... just... arranging pick up for something." She began slowly, the lie tasting fake even on her tongue. Tenten frowned. "Is the person who has your stuff giving you trouble? Maybe I should just go exchange it-"

"No! No, it's fine." Hinata shook her head. "They're okay with it, we're just trying to figure out...when... in a week..." she shrugged, attempting to be light about the whole thing.

Lee blinked at her along with Tenten unsure of what it was they were hearing in her tone but knowing it wasn't usually there. "Huh. Okay well, if they give you any trouble..."

"Yeah." Hinata nodded, glancing back down at the phone and typing her answer. "I'll let you know for sure."

 _ **I do think everything I had the audacity to look at in your book is very beautiful though. You've very talented.**_

Her face was heating up. Absently she pressed a hand to her cheek and winced. Was she flirting? She blinked and then shuddered. She didn't even know who was on the other side of that phone. They could be in a relationship, they could be scary and mean they could be a serial killer like Neji said. They could be a girl and she just didn't swing that way.

She stared at the phone feeling her ears heat up on either side of her head, and sent the message anyway.

* * *

He bit his lip, looking at the way she framed the sentences, at her choice of words and the way everything was spelled correctly and without grammar mistakes. Lounging on his bed ignoring his homework was not typical for him but neither was having conversations with complete strangers.

He had already done the awful thing of searching her apps for more information but whoever this was didn't take chances. There were no pictures aside from a few of different vistas and one of a puppy in someone's pale hands. There were no accounts open or signed in on any social media and no access to calanders or email.

He shifted, staring at the phone hanging over his head, feeling his knee vibrating again in an uncharacteristic jittery fashion.

 _ **You're very talented.**_

What does one even say to that? Thank you? Yes, I am? No, I practice hard?

He shifted further into the bed, as though it were the cause of his discomfort, punching at his pillow behind his head idly.

 _ **You can look at it if you let me read your poems.**_

What was he doing? His eyes travelled over the sentence three times before he pressed send, sitting up to stare at the device and then, abruptly and a little irritably he chucked it across the room to Naruto's bed.

He had no trouble getting girls interested. He never had, which was part of why he was rarely interested himself. There was no chance of them actually getting to know him for him, there was just the vague idea that they liked him because of the genetic lottery he had won from his parents. Nothing about him was important really, it was just accesories they liked or didn't mind attached to the actual thing they liked, namely his molecules in the shape they currently held.

Whoever this was, however had no idea- he hoped- of who he was. What he looked like. Nothing. Something about that made his stomach hurt a little and not from hunger.

Trying to keep busy and his eyes firmly away from the phone on his room mates mess of a bed he flipped open his art history book, scanning the modern artists biography summaries with quick black eyes, ignoring the magnetic tug of the phone on the bed.

Until he heard it vibrate.

Before it was even done he had it in his hands, flopped on his bed on his stomach.

 _ **Only because I really want to look at your sketchbook. I'm not talented like this, so you'll probably get bored soon.**_

And after a brief pause,

 _ **I guess it's okay.**_

He had her notebooks open in front of him before the second message even came through.

* * *

"What is that?" Tenten looked over from her bed, eyes wide in her face. Hinata was gazing at the broad face of the sketchbook on her bed again. She had even gone to wash her hands before touching it. Someone had once told her about oils on your fingers being able to disturb images drawn with raw materials like pencil and paper. She didn't want to wreck anything. The thought was making her nervous.

"It's... a sketchbook." She supplied, a little obviously making Tenten give her an amused look from the other side of the room where she was sitting at her desk with her lap top open. "No way." she laughed sarcastically and Hinata smiled back a little sheepishly.

"It's from the back pack."

"Oh." Tenten blinked at her tone of shame, turning a bit in her chair to gaze at her, leaning on her back wrest and holding her chin in her palm. "That's pretty, I can tell from here."

"Beautiful." Hinata softly corrected, turning back to the page she was studying. The sketch was on the next page after the pair of gazing dark eyes and it was a bird midflight, something about the way it had been captured made her feel she could see the way the wind tore at it's wings, the light of the sun reflecting off the black beady eye in it's feathered face.

"I wonder if they're looking through your stuff." Tenten wrinkled her nose. Hinata didn't reply, letting her bangs do their job of hiding half her face as she turned the page.

"Mmm." she said, attempting to sound unconvincing in her agreement or disagreement regardless.

The silence grew in soft breaths and finally Tenten turned back to her computer, her fingers clicking away at the keyboard, mouse squeaking in her hand.

Quietly so that she would not see Hinata pulled the phone out from beneath the sketchbook, gazing at the time and wondering about how tired she was going to be in the morning if she didn't go to bed soon.

 _ **I love the bird. How long do these sketches take you? You must see things so differently than most people.**_

Quietly she cocked her head at the bird again, forming the words on her lips but not actually saying them.

"I wonder if you would see me differently."

* * *

The words on the page were puzzling, and as his eyes traveled through the smooth pages he began to note the slant of her cursive, sometimes sharp like the spines of trees heading to the heavens in even T and L and N. Other times they writing was smaller and subdued, the rounded O's and A's sitting close together tightly like fat birds on electric wires against the blue sky. 

With the wiry tall letters a note had been scribbled frantically, leaving a trail of ink that drifted of the page.

 _blooms in the trenches of feet and shoes, swaying to your breath, buzzing with the bees and their orders through the dirt_

 _in the end sweetness_

 _in the end joy_

Cocking his head Sasuke pondered the words, more confused than enlightened as he moved to the next page, freezing at the next few words lonely in the middle of the page with no title, date or word to explain.

 _I will always be alone, it's not something to cry about or pity myself for, but a fact that I should face._ _The options are loneliness or the solitude of fake embrace and I cannot._

 _Will not tolerate it._

 _Heaven help me. I would rather die._

Slowly Sasuke sat up, pulling the book from the bed covers to lift slowly to his face, reading over the the words again.

Heaven help me. I would rather die.

"...who are you?" He breathed, stunned to see his thoughts written out in someone else's hand on the page.

* * *

 _ **Sometimes this one is very very hard. I am NOT a poet. I like me prose. it's my bae. Poetry is like... way out of my league.**_

 _ **Bear with me poets. I am reading a lot of poetry because input helps with output. Got a poet you love? Share with me?**_

 _ **leave me some love, ne?**_

 _ **-inky**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**For whatever reason this one went from near silence to screaming through the night. As is Switch-a-Roo. I'm just giving Meet Cute and Paint With Words a break right now. I wish Paint With Words would just comply with my orders and get finished.**_

 _ **One day. It's coming. The rest of the note is for my darling flamer:) Skip forth my darlings to the story.**_

 _ **Much love,**_

 _ **Inky**_

 _ **Flamer dear, I am so glad to hear you have an imaginary fiance.**_

 _ **Oops. Fiance. Just fiance.**_

 _ **Also I was dancing, delirious with joy when I saw your flame this time. My mouth literally fell open. WORDS you know more WORDS. I DID THAT! I cannot express the PRIDE i felt when i saw that.**_

 _ **You even used the word inconsequential. No...no that's not what you said- what was it?Irrelevant. That's right. It's getting better though. I mean that's a big word it's got ten letters in it all in a row! Yikes! That's as big as the words my four year old uses so you're getting there for sure. He's not a normal kid. Also... do you know what a virgin is? I'm starting to think you don't, based on your comments. I would tell you to google it but honestly that could end badly so maybe ask someone? Not the fiance though. I'm not sure that would go anywhere. Flame on dearest! You're getting better! Muah.**_

 _ **From your biggest fan,**_

 _ **Inky**_

* * *

He had refrained from sending another text for the rest of the night despite reading her last one over and over before falling asleep. Something about the last bit of writing he had read in her notebook had rattled him in a way he wasn't understanding and it was not his way to move forward with anything unless he understood.

Then, to start the day off right Naruto threw a textbook at him from across the room, knocking him out of sleep and into slight asphyxiation to start the morning foul mouthed and irritable.

"Dude, you're going to be late again and I am not taking any flack from you this time, get the hell outta here." Naruto snapped from his bed still snuggled into his covers and groggy. "I set my alarm for your fucking class, woke up and now woke you. I need a best friend medal or something."

"You need to shut up." Sasuke growled as he stumbled around his room trying to dress and gather his things, although he was grateful. Without his bag he felt lost. His sketchbook and textbooks were in there and it wouldn't be until next week that he would be able to get them back so gathering the things he could from his desk he ran a hand through his hair quickly in front of the mirror after brushing his teeth and with an eye roll at the mess of black he headed out the door.

"Make good choices!" Naruto yelled as he slipped out. Sasuke flipped him off before storming down the hall, feeling the brick shape of the cell phone that didn't belong to him sitting silent in his pocket.

His eyes scanned the faces of the students around him and he realized often he avoided looking at them because as he meandered through the morning crowds heading to class he recognized very few faces. These were people that... presumably he had been in class with for several years now or at least seen on campus regularly but few even looked vaguely familiar. He might as well have been standing in a foreign city block swirling with strangers.

"Hm." He hummed, sliding through the packed cafeteria to grab some fruit before heading to class. In the throngs of swirling faces he caught one that he recognized, if only vaguely because of his recent exposure. The pale dark haired Hyuuga was a few tables from the cashier line with her head in her hands, her nose red and blinking her tempestuous eyes blearily at the bun haired girl sitting across from her. She was wrapped in so many layers her cheeks were red and delicately she pressed a tissue to her face before sneezing, just a tiny sound more fitted for a fairy than a person.

Involuntarily Sasuke smirked and turned away before her eyes felt his stare and headed off to class, entering early to find to his relief his professor frowning at a set of wide prints along the counter space at the front of the class.

"Professor." Sasuke began from the doorway, leaning against the frame with his books at his side. "Do you have a moment?"

"Hm." Kurenai sighed, pushing her dark hair back over her shoulder as she straightened, eyes still trained on the images on the counter. "Come to beg for a chance at that test, Uchiha-san?"

Sasuke paused for a moment, wondering if it was worth it to even bother with the tone she was using already. "There were some...extenuating circumstances." He began carefully.

At that Kurenai looked up, fixing him with a look that was a little amused and more disbelieving. "Oh, that's a brand new one I've never heard before."

Taking a deep breath Sasuke stepped back. "Fine." He muttered, moving to leave only to stop at her chuckle. "Come back in here, Uchiha. You're so dramatic." Shaking her head his professor began to gather the prints together in her hands smoothly. "You've never so much as been late to a regular class I'm not dumb enough to believe you would blow a test for nothing."

Sasuke didn't reply. He had been drinking and hung over and had somehow managed to lose his sketchbook, which was a large part of the final grade for her class. He wasn't so sure he would be agreeing with her pleasant description of his work ethic at this particular moment. But beggars can't be choosers and the other option was telling her to fail him so...

"Right." He began slowly, hesitantly.

"I can't have you do the test, but I know what you can do and what you know." She turned to look at him. "I do have a request by a literary prof that I was not going to bother any of my third year students with but since you missed your test maybe you can use this opportunity to really impress me with your work assisting another student."

This was taking a very unpleasant left turn he had not expected. "Pardon?" He frowned a little. "I'm not great at collaboration-" he began, picturing someone trying to actually make something with him was already making his stomach roll. No one touched his work, no one looked at it without his permission and most importantly no one got in his head to ask questions about what would come out on canvas or paper or wall or whatever medium he decided to use. No one.

"Well you might have to get over it." Kurenai smiled. "The Creative Writing class has a project to create a children's book and they requested to be teamed up with some of my students for the illustrations. They write the story or whatever and we supply the images. You get it bound and voila another thing to add to your portfolio."

Sasuke had to keep his jaw clenched so that it wouldn't fall open. "A children's book?"

"Yes. You need to expand your repertoire anyway. Your technique is perfect, but the content could use a wider horizon." She said it so lightly, unaware that her words were making him dizzy. A wider horizon? He saw things and sometimes they sang to him and sometimes they didn't. He drew the things that sang that was as far as he thought about it. He worked hard on his technique to capture the image faithfully and then period. No more.

Expanding horizons? What nonsense.

"I already sent a list of students available to the Creative Writing class but we were short one, so this is your chance. Take it or leave it." She turned to him then, knowing that he was wrestling with the idea despite the calm placid look over his pale face. Out of everyone in class, everyone in the last three years, probably even longer Sasuke Uchiha was by far her most determined student, the most naturally gifted and teamed with a voracious need to know and learn more he was a wild fire out of control sometimes, with work already requested at galleries around Konoha U that he rarely agreed to. He guarded his work jealously.

Just thinking about the idea of working in tandem with someone appeared to be making him a little green. She smirked.

"Fine." he finally muttered, calculating how much nagging he would have to hear from Itachi if he failed any of his courses ever. Not that this particular class was anything his brother really cared about, but failure was not an option in their family and Sasuke knew that.

"Fine." He said it again, as though sealing his fate and the hubbub of students meandering into the class signified his time was up anyway. Kurenai smiled again gently, nodding towards the desks. "Go have a seat, Uchiha-san. You're fine, don't look so glum. You may actually enjoy it."

"Hn." Sasuke grunted, wandering to the very back near the darkest corner to brood. "I doubt it."

* * *

"You can't go to class, Hinata." Tenten shook her head at her as Hinata blinked through tears caused by the round of sneezes she had been trying to contain at the cafeteria at breakfast.

The wet hair the night before had come around to bite her in the butt and she woke with a headache and sore throat, her nose stuffed and cheeks pink with a fever. "You're going to get everyone else sick too." Tenten added. "No one would appreciate that."

"I haven't been to my creative writing class this week, I missed yesterday." Hinata mumbled with a bite of whine sprinkled through for flavor. "I'm so tired but I don't think I can miss it."

Tenten shook her head again as she finished her porridge and pushed Hinata's tea mug forward towards her again. "Don't go. Sleep it off, you're more useful healthy than dragging out a cold for a week. Get some good sleep. You can catch up on your work load after. We can make a night of it, pizza, homework, indie playing in the background. It'll be fun." She winked at her as she grabbed her book bag.

"But I, the healthy of the pair, have got to go. Get back to bed." She added, pointing at her sternly.

Hinata just blinked at her and sighed, letting her shoulders droop. "Okay."

As soon as Tenten disappeared she stood and began the slow walk back to her room, fiddling with the square shape of the phone in her jacket pocket, face half buried in her scarf as she walked thinking about looking at it again. After her last text it had gone silent and despite it not vibrating she had kept looking at it throughout the evening until she fell asleep, surprised that it bothered her not being answered.

Maybe she had said something awkward ?

Nervously she pulled the phone out again and studied the conversation, puzzled. Slowly she began to type, and then deleted the message, and then typed again, repeating the process several times until finally she settled on.

 _ **Good morning**_

Feeling jittery and hot she walked quickly back to her room, telling herself it was because she had a fever that she felt so weird.

What else could it be?

* * *

He felt the tremble of the phone in his pocket while frowning down at what Kurenai was saying, half paying attention half trying to think of a way to get out of the stupid project she had suggested.

Slowly he dug the device out of his pocket and laid it out on the table in front of him, keeping his eyes on Kurenai still talking pointing at something on one of the prints she had hung on the white board that lined the back of the class.

When she turned he looked down at the message and bit his lip at the simplicity of the implied invitation to conversation. It made his fingers twitch to reply.

 _What the fuck is wrong with me?_

Despite his puzzled thoughts his hands moved and hoping that the device wouldn't make some annoying chime sound to signify a sent message he replied, thankful that it remained silent.

 _ **I wish.**_

* * *

Blinking Hinata stared at the reply on the cell as she removed her scarf and jacket and the several layers beneath that before lowering herself slowly to her bed. "Hm." she hummed thoughtfully as she tucked herself snuggly into the covers.

 _ **I'm so sorry to hear that. What's the matter?**_

She studied that for a moment, wondering if it was perhaps too forward? Would it be considered prying?

Sighing she shrugged to herself and pulled the blankets up to cover her head staring at the screen in the darkness of her warm cave before pressing send.

* * *

Somehow her reply was not entirely unexpected and yet he had no idea what to say. What did she care anyway? She had no idea who he was.

Pondering the question he looked back up at Kurenai who was explaining something or other about the technique used to make the oil paints and the cost of blue during the time of Van Gogh. Stuff he had learned in elementary. Sometimes he wondered about these stupid Art History Classes. Irritated he almost put the phone away and then stopped. Nervously he brought it back out and typed, ignoring the warning in the back of his head that said perhaps he should be thinking more about what he was doing. And why.

 _ **I just found out I have to do an assignment with someone and I'm not great with sharing. But you'd know. Hence the crayon incident.**_

Hinata smiled broadly. It was probably going to be one of the shining moments in her entire life, that series of photos with the crayons and the sketchbook. If Neji wasn't such a stick in the mud about things like that she'd tell him about it.

She'd probably tell Ino and Sakura actually, they would giggle with her. It'd surprise them. She liked it when people were surprised by her, something about their puzzled expressions made her sigh a little in relief. Maybe it was knowing that she wasn't exactly what they thought she was. Someone predictable and boring.

 _ **It might not be so bad. The crayon incident turned out sort of okay, no? No sketches had to suffer.**_

He was smirking then, and hardly paying attention to anything Kurenai was saying, replying before he had even allowed the last message to sit in the inbox for a second.

 _ **Sure, at least whoever it is will not have anything of mine to hold hostage.**_

 **You should make sure of that. Keep all your items firmly in your grip at all times.**

 _ **They may think I suspect them of stealing, if I do that.**_

 **That's a possibility. I'm likely the only kidnapper of sketchbooks at the school though. You should be fine.**

 _ **I'm not looking forward to it at all.**_

 **Maybe they'll be a very nice person who is very thankful for your help.**

 _ **Maybe they'll be annoying and intrusive.**_

 **Won't know until you try it. Social experiment.**

 _ **Anything with the word Social I'm just not really interested in.**_

 **Well, now you're just lying. I think you're being social right now.**

And abruptly he stared, blinking at her last message with something that he knew instinctively and without a doubt was panic. He had been caught, cornered and outmaneuvered.

She was right of course and that meant that he was willingly engaging with someone and finding it less than distasteful. He was...

"Uchiha-san?"

A small insignificant wince lit his face and he looked up, sliding the phone into his pocket in time to catch Kurenai and everyone else in the room looking at him curiously. Of all the students in the class his name was the least called upon in the tone their professor was using. The you-owe-me-a-coffee-and-scones-cuz-you're-very-sorry look.

"I apologize." Sasuke murmured, placing his now cell free hands on the table so that she could see he was no longer being a rowdy teen boy instead of a mature adult in a university campus.

"Must be an important conversation." Kurenai muttered turning back to the board. "Anyway, please note that to use oil on canvas in this manner..."

As she began to speak Sasuke dared to pull the phone back out again, typing just one word back.

 _ **Touchè.**_

* * *

"We're what?" Hinata stared at her Professor, holding herself stiffly. Her cold was far from gone but at least she wasn't ignoring a pounding headache and besides sneezing every once in a while she was functional. Mostly. She had also taken a lot of drugs and everything had a very soft very otherworldly quality but that wasn't so bad.

Absently she thought through the feeling as her professor cleared his throat.

 _/narcotic high rocket straight to mars/would rather float through bubbles and soft stars/a pill with e is too much for me/i'd rather be drifting fever free/_

"It's for your final grade, besides the exam." Professor Jiraya was smiling at her. Of all his students she was particularly cute and despite his best attempt at being professional sometimes all he wanted to do was pinch her cheeks.

Hinata was of course oblivious to this and just blinked at him, pale gray eyes wide if a little dazed over the top of her enormous scarf. Her hair was in a tangled messy bun that would make a magazine photographer proud. It was of course a sheer accident that only good genes and a lot of cold meds could make happen for her that day. Dangling from her ears were a pair of bright silver snowflakes that drew attention to her gaze. Not that her eyes needed help attracting stares.

"Um... so..." She was trying to comprehend what he was saying but everything seemed very slow. She had a sinking feeling that around her life was happening at normal speed it was her brain that was dragging behind. "I have to write a book?"

"A children's book, yes." Her professor smiled again at her small voice and pushed the description of the assignment towards her in hard copy. Somehow he had a feeling she wouldn't have the brain capacity in her current state to remember to look it up on her online syllabus. "You will have a Visual Arts student paired with you for the illustrations. Professor Kurenai said she found one for you. Since you were missing yesterday I paired everyone else and we were short one to set you with but it appears there is someone needing extra credit."

He flipped through his phone then, searching for the email with the name, unaware that beside him Hinata's eyes were widening with worry. Working with someone on a story she was writing? Somehow that was making her feel increasingly more ill. They would illustrate what she wrote. No.

No. No.

"Uh oh." She sighed out loud and Jiraya looked up just as he opened the email he had been searching for. "Something the matter?"

"I just..." she paused, blinking rapidly at him. "I'm a little nervous about collaborating with someone." She blinked again, impressed with herself at the ability to say the word collaboration in her current state.

"Don't be. Your writing has gained strength through the last semester very rapidly. I think you will do splendidly on this." He nodded. "You're paired with Sasuke Uchiha, and Kurenai told him to meet you at the library tonight to begin work and to set up a schedule to finish the project." He looked up at her. "Do you know who that is?"

When the name filtered out of the older man's mouth Hinata had felt herself stiffen and the adrenaline that pumped through her blood seemed to clear some of the fog rather quickly. Instinctively she shrunk further into the scarf around her neck like a turtle.

"...yes." she sighed.

"Good, so you can find him then." Jiraya seemed satisfied with the conversation and had turned back to his desk while Hinata stood there numbly, trying to think of how to express the impossibility of working with the irritable young man they had been discussing.

"...P-Professor?" she began and he looked at her again patiently, hands busy with his folders for his next class. "Is there... a chance that perhaps someone else could... I... maybe I can..." she paused, feeling her face flush scarlet.

Jiraya stared at her for a moment, surprise on his face. "Oh. Is Uchiha-san someone you have a history with?"

"H-history?"

"Is he an ex or something?"

Her face went from mild red to crimson overload. "Ah! N-no! No, I am.. I just... never mind. I'm good." She turned rapidly heading out the door in a hurry.

"Hyuuga-san?" Jiraya called lightly, still surprised and now a little confused. "Hm." He shrugged and turned back to his work.

Out in the hall Hinata pressed her back to the wall and hugged her books so hard to her chest she wondered if she would ever need to buy a bra again.

Working with Naruto's best friend would have been bad enough, there was plenty there for awkwardness. But of course it had to be Naruto's silent, brooding and frankly scary best friend. Everything the blonde was not Sasuke Uchiha dominated. At one point Hinata had thought if there was a vampire on campus that would be him. For sure.

"Uuuugh." She sighed, rubbing a hand on her face tiredly. This week was turning out to be a Cinnamon Bun week. A cinnamon bun a day to keep her getting up in the morning.

Squaring her shoulders she turned to head back to her dorm, fiddling in her pocket at the feel of the cell phone buzzing in her pocket. A little sadly she glanced at the message.

 _ **I'm going to need you to explain the hello kitty stickers all over one of your poetry notebooks. I keep accidentally ripping them off.**_

Something akin to a snort escaped Hinata as she walked down the hall, gloom momentarily diverted as she headed to her room to prepare for the confrontation later in the day.

 _ **You sound as though "accidentally" is another word for "on purpose"**_

 **It's a cat shaped blob. If you want a cat I can draw a cat on there.**

 _ **You definitely ripped them off on purpose. Well, I am not going to tell you to not decorate my notebook, not after seeing your sketches. Go ahead. Maybe I can sell it for a lot of money once you're famous.**_

 **I would have assumed it would turn into a family heirloom but I see you've an enterprising mind.**

 _ **I try. Oh, can you write something into the brown notebook please?**_

 **Yes. What?**

 _ **/narcotic high a rocket straight to mars/would rather float through bubbles and soft stars/a pill of E is too much for me/i'd rather be drifting fever free/**_

 **You're not in rehab are you? That's not why you can't give me my stuff back before next week right?**

A laugh escaped her then and blushing at the puzzled glances she received from a few people passing by she ducked her head and hurried into her dorm.

 _ **No, promise.**_

 **Good.**

Together and yet separated they looked at the last text with expressions matching in curiosity and wariness.

Good.

* * *

She was late.

Sasuke slouched further into his chair at the library table making as much room between himself and a handful of female first years that were trying not to gawk at him too openly. It was an admirable effort on their part, mostly they had managed to keep their jaws from staying open in O's of admiration and besides some furtive looks their blushes were maintained at rosy cheeks.

Sighing he pondered getting up and leaving but the thought of Itachi showing up to chew him out over a fail grade was not something he was looking forward to so he stayed, growing steadily less pleased.

Ten minutes into fuming she stumbled in the door, a mess of scarf and sweaters and wide eyes that searched the library and looking breathless settled on him. The moment their eyes met he watched with interest as she stiffened and shoulders tight, hands clenched moved towards him, gripping a notebook in one hand like it was a sword.

"U-uchiha-san. I'm so sorry to keep you waiting. I... I couldn't find my phone." Her voice was mildly muffled by the scarf wrapped around her but it didn't hide the blush that was reaching up into her hair line. Wordlessly Sasuke watched her settle in the chair across from her, eyes flickering to the right to the girls who were openly watching their exchange. Something like confusion fluttered on her face for a moment and then she turned back to him, meeting his eyes briefly before opening her notebook.

"I... I am Hinata Hyuuga, I'm... in Professor Jiraya's class." Her hands turned the pencil in her fingers over and over nervously and Sasuke studied her long fingers and mostly clean hands save for the stain of pen ink on her right thumb and forefinger.

"I know." He muttered. "Do you have an outline for the project?"

This was not going to work. He couldn't function with someone as...jittery as Hinata Hyuuga. Of all the people. She would contribute nothing, just from looking at her now he could tell she would defer to anything he said and that wasn't going to work well for them. He wasn't a writer. He captured images. If she couldn't come up with anything to inspire him...

"Yes... I have it right here. Um... I... I am a little..." she paused then, pushing the hard copy of the project towards him with trembling hands. "I'm a little nervous about...collaborating, if I'm honest with you. I've never... done that before. Do you have any idea how to..." she paused again at the sight of his dark eyes looking at her intently over the top of the page.

"I'm not thrilled about this project." He stated thinly, deciding clarity was best. "So no, I'm not sure how to go about doing this. I suppose you could write the story and email it to me and I could try to illustrate what you have but..." he shrugged. "It could be hit or miss."

Most likely miss.

For a moment she was blessedly quiet and he focused on reading through the description of the project, annoyed with parts that highlighted they were supposed to join to create all of the story book, so that the aesthetic and the prose worked in tandem, from book cover to typesetting.

This just kept getting worse.

"I don't think that me writing it completely and sending it to you will work for the project...I need your input on the story...it's your grade as well so..." she stopped when he looked at her.

"I don't do discussions about my work."

Frowning a little Hinata ignored the heat rising to her cheeks again at his bored stare and shifted uncomfortably in her chair. "Okay... but..."

"Write out some ideas, email them to me." He scribbled his email on the page quickly before shoving the paper back at her and moving to stand. "I'll let you know if any of them sound like something I can work with and you can draft a few versions if you want. I'll pick the one that seems the most interesting and start sketches from that."

"But..." Hinata began again, startled to see him heading towards the exit already. "Uchiha-san, I-"

With a wave over his shoulder he was out the door and gone, leaving her blinking rapidly, eyes wide in her face.

* * *

 _ **Do you ever think of maybe just quitting university and doing something that doesn't need a degree?**_

Sasuke sent the text later in the evening than he usually would. It was close to midnight and she had stopped replying several hours before but the thought had been bouncing around in his head since the meeting at the library and he needed it to get out. As he sent the text he pondered what she would say, or if she would even reply so late. Impatiently he waited, shifting at his art desk, elbows leaning on the inclined table surface.

It was the one thing in his dorm that cost actual money. The drawing desk inclined sharp and steep when he needed to have a surface at an angle for bigger projects and the natural UV light over head kept colors bright and true when he painted. It dominated his side of the room, not that it mattered. Naruto barely did anything in their shared space other than sleep so Sasuke had without meaning to taken over a large amount of wall space.

With anyone else their strange schedules and odd habits would not have worked but somehow they made it work. And Sasuke was thankful for that, working late at night trying to catch up on the outlines for a couple paintings that had been hanging out in his head for the last few days wouldn't have flown with anyone else. Naruto however was fast asleep in his bed, uncaring of the UV light Sasuke had on. Usually he would at least try to not be this much of a dick when his room mate was sleeping but the images in his mind were bugging him and the only way to remove them was to paint them.

As he slid his hand smoothly over the water color paper the phone buzzed, surprising him.

 _ **I sure am thinking about that today. This week has been awful.**_

Surprised again Sasuke put his paint brush down, leaning back in his chair to think.

 _ **Something wrong?**_

 **I think without meaning to I annoy someone I hardly know and I have to work with this person. I don't know how I'm going to do it.**

 _ **Sounds like they're being a jerk. I wouldn't worry about it.**_

 **Maybe I'm the problem?**

 _ **You don't sound particularly problematic.**_

 **I do tend to annoy people.**

 _ **On purpose or by accident?**_

 **I don't do it on purpose!**

 _ **Some people do, just asking.**_

 **It was painful. I don't want to talk to him again. But I have to. He really doesn't want to work with me but we don't really have a choice.**

At the mention of a _he_ Sasuke stood and frowning walked over to his bed, flopping onto the mattress absently.

 _ **Are you doing your part? You're not just leaving it all to him right?**_

 **What? Why would I do that? That's awful**

 _ **Well, sounds like he is being an idiot. Tell him to screw off.**_

 **You have no idea what you're suggesting. I can't tell him that!**

 _ **Is he your boss?**_

 **No. But I don't think he'd take that well.**

 _ **Not many do. I think that may be the point.**_

 **I may just have to deal with it. It went so badly I had a headache after.**

Something about what she was saying was making him uncomfortable, he shifted in his bed, feeling a tingle in his fingers as he typed out the next text, the frown having settled comfortably on his face without any intentions of moving soon.

 _ **If he gave you a headache I think its fair to say this guy needs to be put in his place. I certainly wouldn't tolerate it.**_

 **How though? I can't yell at him. I'm not like that.**

It was then that he realized, he was upset. Angry even? How could someone be such a dick to a girl that they gave her a headache and made her so nervous? What an ass. Frowning he sat up and chewed the inside of his cheek. Whoever this was certainly didn't sound like the girls he knew. Ino or Sakura would have knocked the idiot straight to next week.

 _ **Decide what you want to happen next time you have to work with him and when he starts his nonsense just plow on. Don't deviate. Do what you decided.**_

 **Like... write a list?**

 _ **If that helps, sure.**_

 **I could do that. Maybe.**

 _ **Try it. Can't hurt.**_

 **Hm. Okay. Thank you. I think I'll try that.**

 _ **Let me know how it goes.**_

 **Of course.**

He smirked at the last message before turning out the light to go to sleep.

Of course.

* * *

The email had not been a series of possible storybook ideas as he had expected. It had been a neatly written request to meet at the library and a time with the name Hinata Hyuuga at the bottom.

No dear, no sincerely, just:

 _Please meet me at the library at 10 am tomorrow morning. Thank you._

 _Hinata Hyuuga_

He showed up exactly ten minutes late because if memory served that was what the Hyuuga considered on time, and so when he saw her at the table where they had first met the day before he almost smirked and feeling triumphant walked over and sat down.

She blinked at him slowly. Her scarf was gone and he could see her tiny heart shaped face, the pursed pink lips pressed into a thin line and her hair sliding dark like ink along her shoulders. He studied it, having not seen it up close in the light before and pondered how to get that shade of indigo black on paper. Raising his onyx eyes up to her he sighed.

"Hyuuga."

"I am not going to write out the story ideas and email them to you." Her voice didn't shake but it was thin and he could hear the nerves laced through it, still her hands were loose on the table where a plain notepad sat, blank and clean. Two pens in Purple and Red on top of them.

"Oh?" He leaned back, crossing his arms. "So then?"

Her one hand crumpled a piece of paper tightly and she kept her eyes on his face.

"I am not going to fail this project because you're unwilling to work with me. I need you to decide what kind of storybook you had hoped to make with me and we need to make the final decision together. That's what the project dictates." She blinked at him and he blinked back, a slow smirk starting on his face. "That's not how I work."

"Okay well, I guess we're both failing then." She pushed the notepad towards him. "I have to be in class in less than an hour, unless you'd like to meet again afterwards, I need to start discussing the project with you." Her eyes were lowered to the notepad but when she raised them to him he stared back, amused.

"You're giving me an ultimatum?"

"I spoke to Kurenai about switching partners but she seemed to be under the impression that you needed this project to not fail the class." She blinked at him again and for a moment he felt dizzy. "So, I'm not sure I'm the one giving you an ultimatum, but there's one on the table, I suppose, in the end."

This was unexpected. Sasuke breathed in deep and sat up, uncrossing his arms to tap a finger on the notepad.

"I don't work well with others. That's all."

"I know." Hinata blinked at him again and her tone though soft had an undercurrent of steel.

"I guess we're failing then." He cocked his head just slightly at her and watched as heat rose to her cheeks while they glared back and forth. With trembling fingers she gathered the notepad and pens. "Too bad." she murmured. "Kurenai told me you were an amazing artist, she hoped the book would perhaps get published in the end if we pursued that route." Sighing she turned moving to head towards the exit.

Sasuke watched, stunned. He had not expected her to follow through, but small and stubborn she headed out, without a bye or looking back. As her form disappeared out the doors he felt himself stand, Itachi's rant at him already nagging through his head.

"Oh shit." He hissed at himself, and shot off running after her.

* * *

Her face was going to melt right off. Her hands were shaking, so were her knees. Wobbly she stumbled down the library steps, breathing in deep and hard to gather air into her lungs although it didn't seem to be helping.

That had not gone well, and she was not surprised although she had been a little hopeful. But she had a back up plan. If at the end of the week Sasuke Uchiha was still being a complete jerk about everything then perhaps she could ask whoever had her phone to please help her with her project. If Jiraya was okay with it then maybe she didn't have to fail. Surely?

And it would give her a reason to maybe stay in touch with this new friend she had made. That wasn't so bad right?

Who was she kidding? She was shaking. That had gone so badly she wasn't sure she was going to be able to see Sasuke Uchiha without throwing up. Trying to tame her wobbly legs she sped up, trying to slow her breathing, feeling already the sting of possible tears wetting her lashes. _I am not going to cry, I am not going to cry, I am not going to..._

Walking rapidly with a loud ringing in her ears she almost didn't hear him when he shouted after her.

"Hyuuga."

Startled Hinata glanced back and flinched to see him walking after her, frown on his face like a helmet to war.

Trying to remember the list she had written out in her hand she breathed in deeply, swallowing hard. "Yes?" Now what? The man was awful, if she never had to speak to him again that would be the best thing ever.

"Fine." He threw his hands up as though the disaster she had created were all around them and he could hardly believe it. "Fine. I'll do it your way."

She stared.

Sasuke waited for a gloating smile, for a cocky come back or perhaps a stubborn defiant "Well I don't need you." speech.

Or worse a flustered bashful oration about being thankful.

"What?" she frowned at him then, rubbing her forehead a little with her long fingers. In the light of the weak winter sun he could see their elegance and length even as he stood there irritated and for a moment he wondered if he would remember them clearly enough to draw, moving against her dark bangs, trembling with her obvious discomfort.

"I don't repeat myself." He snapped and Hinata flinched again at him.

"Uchiha-san-"

"I'm Sasuke." He frowned. "Uchiha-san is my older brother or my dead father. Don't call me that."

Bristling a little the Hyuuga frowned at him. "You're... you're very unpleasant. I don't know if I can..."

He started at her honesty surprised. "What?"

"Sorry.." Hinata blushed hard, lowering her gaze finally, exhausted by a confrontation that seemed to be lasting forever. "I can't really... I don't know if I can work with you. You're..."

It was almost a laugh as he said it. "Unpleasant."

Her mouth was pouting, just the smallest amount as she frowned at the ground, arms tight around her books.

"Yes."

 _I can work with her._ He blinked at this new revelation, studying her anew. _She's not as much a pile of nerves as I thought_.

"I can... work on that." he began, as close to an apology as he was going to get. "I can't fail this class." Or any class, but she didn't need to know that.

Slowly her gray eyes lifted and he realized there was the slightest bit of wetness at the edges of her lashes.

 _Aw damn._ Quickly he looked away, ignoring the uncomfortable feeling that somewhere out there if his mother was watching she was ashamed.

Hinata studied him for a moment, looking unconvinced. "Okay..."

Slowly, as though still unsure she turned back towards the library and he fell into step beside her, eyeing her out of the corner of his eye.

"...I wanted..." she began, trying to keep her mind focused not on her victory but on the list she was clenching like a talisman in her hand, "...I wanted to maybe write a book about birds, with the concept being freedom...but...I didn't know if that was something that would interest you."

He breathed in trying to not be irritated by the concept of someone attempting to direct his train of thought. "Okay," He began, with as little annoyance in his tone as possible. "What kind of bird?"

"Um, I don't know, whichever you would prefer? That's not so important although I do like one that's... um, I think it's called a scrub-jay." She continued, frowning as though trying to remember. "Although, I'm not a hundred percent sure. I saw it on something and matched it from images online."

Surprised Sasuke turned to look at her, eyebrows raised. He had drawn a scrub jay recently, mid flight in his sketchbook.

 _Damn, my sketchbook._

"That sounds okay, actually." He admitted a little slowly as they entered the library and sat down. Hinata looked tense still as she lowered the notepad to the table and pushed it and a pen towards him gently. "Good. That's my idea." She looked up at him then, her face open and searching despite being a little wary. "What's yours?"

Smirking a little at her he took the pen. "All right." And they got down to work.

* * *

 _ **I read some of the reviews right before I posted this and YES, i agree that it's a very unlikely that phones nowdays would allow for the kind of anonymity that they have right now. But... guess what i'm writing?**_

 _ **Fiction! Yay!**_

 _ **So who cares?**_

 _ **Also, they likely would have been getting texts and or calls from family or friends in the last few days and at least one person would have said "Hey Hinata or Hey Sasuke" and the cat would have been out of the bag.**_

 _ **In my head i have the following excuses:**_

 _ **They are both kids from high profile families and they are trying to be as anonymous as possible so they don't leave things on their phone that give them away at all if possible because in case they lose their phone they don't want anyone to take advantage of anything they could have had signed in etc. Like a security measure. And because they don't have sensitive things on there they don't bother with a lock.**_

 _ **Flimsy reasoning but it works for me.**_

 _ **As for them not receiving texts or calls? My brain says that naturally they went on their laptops and let everyone know that their phones were MIA on facebook and or email and so their families have been communicating with them through that instead.**_

 _ **It's not believable but you know what? Neither is the concept of 12 year old ninjas and I took that pill with a smile. :) moving on! Yay!**_

 _ **leave me some love, ne?**_

 _ **inky!**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**I am not happy with this chapter. But it needed to happen for some reason. this is how the story wanted to go. Blah. I hate it when it becomes a brat and won't even listen to alternate suggestions, but alas, I want to move on and continue with the story to the more juicy parts.**_

 _ **Much love,**_

 _ **Inky**_

 _ **ps. Flamer dear, You know you love me, just admit it, you wouldn't waste your time otherwise, I mean come on. Let's be real and raw now. And again... really...check into the anatomy thing. Virgin is not a bad word. It's like calling me... i dunno... Gumdrop or Pudding. I guess I could imagine you saying it with attitude and then it could be like... a quarter of an insult. But honestly, I'm not a gumdrop or pudding so... like okay, go ahead, call me that if you wish. Do as you please darling.**_

 _ **Muah.**_

 _ **Inky**_

* * *

Once Hinata Hyuuga got it into her mind to get something done she became a machine. Sasuke had watched and hardly did anything himself partly to keep some of the control he so craved in the "partnership" he had been forced to endure with the girl.

But also he had just been amazed enough to want to watch her working while pretending to sketch out concept ideas for the birds she had had in mind.

They had 45 minutes, or a little less before her class began and in the half hour she allotted to working on the storybook something had happened that he had not expected.

The notepad with her blocky writing had been highlighted and covered in scribbled notes as she quickly scampered over the page with her thoughts and sometimes his when he bothered to speak them out loud. Here and there a note in his writing showed and occasionally a little sketch of whether they wanted the book design to be horizontal or vertical, where they wanted a title to be on the cover, etc.

When she deemed their discussion sufficient enough to work with books appeared as though they were coming out of her. A bag that didn't seem big enough to hold so many opened and in varying sizes and with different covers they stacked and spread. Dictionaries, thesaurus, lists titled "Favorite Words" or "New Words" or the one that had made him blink "Shiny Words", they sat in well worn stacks. Her laptop appeared and with it open and headphones on she did the opposite and seemed to vanish, a little frown between her brows as she first stared at the screen and suddenly began to type.

Her fingers.

He was starting to realize that like the bird, or the tree or the picture of his mother he had found at home with her blazing gaze fixed on the camera between the folds of a silk scarf, Hinata's fingers were singing to him.

He itched to sketch them out and almost started several times as he watched out of his peripheral vision their dance across the keyboard. A single ring glittered on her thumb, silver and aged with darkness around the vines that decorated it's simple face, one lavender stone sat at the center, minuscule but for for the glimmer of the light as it caught the sun while her thoughts danced across the black keys and letters.

He had seen pianists moving their hands over their instruments and when she typed it seemed there was almost a music he was not privy to lifting from the board. Her body swayed, each breath a beat, her eyes looking far away and glowing by the light of the lap top screen.

In the end she must have accomplished something. He could not say the same thing.

A new sketchbook sat in front of him with a handful of birds in various stages of formation, their heads turned quizzically, some impish and adorable and he found them hateful. Others more elegant and realistic, their feathers needing more sprucing but closer to reality.

Feeling something akin to embarrassment he closed the sketchbook as she took her head phones out, eyes wide with a bit of panic. "I have to go! I'm... I'm going to be late for class, I lost track of time." She whispered, glancing at the librarian who was walking behind him as she snapped her laptop closed.

"Right." He began slowly, glancing at the clock at the back of the library. Dumping her things quickly into her bag she straightened, adjusting her scarf around and around her neck until she peered at him over the edge of the purple material, blinking her eyes at his careful watching black gaze.

"...thank you for working with me, Uch-" she paused, pink cheeked. "Sasuke."

"Hn." He gave a slow nod of acknowledgment more appreciative than she knew, surprised that she would remember his scathing remark about how much he disliked being called Uchiha-san.

"I... I think we should probably meet again today if possible. Would that... is that okay?" she stood there with her books to her chest and her bag heavy on her shoulder, small and pretty and polite and surprisingly pleasant if he wasn't too much of an ass himself.

For a moment Sasuke wondered what her cell phone looked like.

Shaking his head to clear it as he stood he shrugged. "If you wish."

"Thank you. I'm... I'm anxious about this, so... the faster it gets done the better, if that's okay?" She admitted softly, looking away. "I'm free in the afternoon, around four?"

Sasuke shrugged again, watching her hands once more, their nervous flutter through her bangs for a moment as she peered at him and the way the blush rose around her cheekbones, lashes dark agains the pale skin as she waited, sighing with resignation at his attitude.

"Well... thank you, again." She murmured, hurrying off before she had even finished her sentence.

As soon as she was gone Sasuke sat back down, blinking at where she had disappeared.

Without another word he opened his sketchbook and flipped to a clean page, moving through the motions of putting the elegance of her hands on the smooth crisp surface before the memory faded from his mind.

* * *

The sound of music coming out of her dorm room was blasting. She stood in the hall with a face that expressed confusion and dislike for a whole minute waiting for the cheesy ballad to finally end before taking the door knob in her hand and stepping inside.

Of all of Tenten's habits this was by far the most irritating and the only one that Hinata had ever even contemplated discussing with her friend. It didn't happen often enough for it to be a real issue, but when it did it was as though all of the annoyance that could have been spread out in small doses throughout a month hit all at once in a half hour.

Tenten was largely a tomboy, she kept her hair cute, short and out of the way as much as possible. She didn't bother with make up, she worked out like running counted as sleep and had a penchant for throwing knives and other weapons that HInata was pretty sure weren't allowed on campus. But she didn't judge, all those things made Tenten uniquely her and she loved her for the quirkiness.

But the ballads.

When homework was bogging her down and she couldn't think Tenten found the most grotesquely phrased love songs sung in the most emotionally charged and over the top way with the loudest choruses possible and blasted them so if someone neared the dorm they couldn't hear her also singing along with abandon about broken hearts and true loves and passionate moon light love making on sandy beaches. Or other nonsense of the like.

It drove Hinata crazy.

"Tenten." She shouted over the sudden crescendo of the song she had thought had ended but was actually just starting to pick up pace with a vengeance. Tenten was sprawled on their "living room" carpet which was just a corner of their room where the couch and tv had been placed for movie watching. A tiny coffee table that served as their dining room table, laundry folding surface and food prep counter was covered in her textbooks and she had her eyes closed laying star shaped on her back not singing but screaming the ballad lyrics at the ceiling.

Sighing deeply Hinata moved to her bed and dumped her things there before sprawling beside her books with her pillow pressed around her head to buffer some of the cat screeching coming out of the speakers.

Absently she pulled out the cell phone which had been sitting silent all day and stared at it for a moment before typing out a text.

 _ **My room mate is trying to kill me via sound waves.**_

She stared at it, willing it to receive a reply and then smiled when a few seconds later it buzzed in her hand gently.

 **There are worse ways to go, I suppose**

 _ **I can't think of one right now.**_

 **You are under duress. What kind of sound waves?**

 _ **Ballads. Corny ballads.**_

 **You haven't thrown her stereo out of the window yet?**

 _ **I love her too well, it appears.**_

 **Martyr.**

 _ **I took your advice and I have to tell you, I nearly had a heart attack at first but it looks like there's the possibility it worked out. Maybe. I'm hopeful.**_

 **Did the jerk cry?**

 _ **I don't know if he can, that would have made me very uncomfortable.**_

 **I can understand that.**

Then after a short pause.

 **I drew you a cat.**

The photo that popped up with the text was of one of her poetry books where she had placed a half dozen hello kitty stickers in an attempt to stay awake during one of her more boring classes a semester ago, moving her hands kept her mostly sitting up straight. But the hello kitty stickers which she had regretted a few days later were gone and in the place of one, on a page where only a short three line poem of hers resided was a cat, puffy tail, long whiskered and glaring, his face infinitely unimpressed with the large bow that sat on his head by one ear.

Hinata's grin overwhelmed her face and she pressed her fingers to her mouth firmly.

 **That's what hello kitty actually looks like.**

Still grinning Hinata scrambled to type something, unable to convey how much she loved the drawing or how big her smile was or anything happening in her chest.

 _ **This is an infinitely better hello kitty. Although, I doubt he would be hello kitty he would be more like... Good Evening Cat.**_

 **I think he looks more like Hell-No Cat.**

At that she actually did laugh out loud and right at the moment the ballad finally ended, the silence that elapsed was like the sudden end of a headache and Tenten sat up like a shot. "Hinata? When did you get here?"

"At the beginning of that last one." Hinata replied absently with a smile in her voice, typing away at the phone.

 _ **I will never buy another hello kitty thing again. I'm cured.**_

 **Good, the rest of the stickers fell off too. So, clean slate.**

"Who are you talking to?" Tenten finally inquired, watching her friend smiling dreamily at the cell phone. Blinking rapidly at the question and dispelling the expression on her face Hinata sat up, tossing the phone on her nightstand like it was a hot potato.

"Oh no one." She shrugged easily, or tried to. Although the movement looked a lot more like trying to get a parrot to come off her shoulder.

"Hm." Tenten cocked her head to the side as she stood and walked over to the stereo to turn the volume down right before another song began blasting their ear drums off.

"How's... home work?" Hinata quickly inquired, deciding it was best to change the subject as soon as possible. She waved at the books spread on everything. "It's love ballad time, hey?"

"Ugh, I'm just... completely incapable of understanding some of my stuff. Professor Guy is just way too much for me sometimes. I can't keep up with the flowery language. I just wanna shake him and tell him to tell it to me straight." She paused, with her hands up as though she had her professor in a vice in that moment. Roughly she shook the invisible person in her grip, frowning.

Hinata blinked rapidly at her. "That does sound...frustrating."

"Yes."

"Well. Hopefully it gets a little easier soon." She added with a more cheery smile.

"And you? " Tenten watched as she flopped back on the bed, gray eyes glancing over to the cell sitting innocently on the night stand. "How did the meeting with Vampiric Uchiha go?"

"I almost cried." Hinata's voice was small, gazing up at the corner of the room as she thought back on his smug expression and the irritating arch of his brow.

Tenten was on the bed beside her in a second. "Come again?"

"It ended okay. But... we ..." she sat up suddenly, looking at her friend in disbelief. "We fought."

"You fought." the brunette looked at her curiously, if a little disbelievingly. "You fought with Sasuke Uchiha?"

"I told him he was unpleasant." As soon as the words left her mouth Hinata's face roasted, and she raised her hands to her mouth, eyes wide.

For a second the two girls looked at each other in disbelief that was equally divided between them despite one having been present at the incident and then together they burst out laughing, Tenten scrambling to her feet to open the door to the hall.

"Ino! Sakura!"

"No, Tenten don't!" Hinata gasped between giggles, struggling to her feet. "They're probably-"

"What's up?" Ino peeked out of the room she and the pink haired girl shared, a second later Sakura's head peeked out too, a tentative smile on her face. "What's so funny?"

"Someone called Sasuke Uchiha unpleasant today to his face." Tenten grinned, nodding back at the still blushing Hyuuga peering from her bed out the door. Sighing Hinata took the cell from the night stand and quickly tucked it into her bag where she wouldn't see it for the next little while. She didn't want to be tempted to look at it with her friends all over her asking questions and being nosy.

Somehow, she wanted it to be just for her.

* * *

"Hey, do you wanna go grab something to eat somewhere?" Naruto called from inside his closet, rummaging around in the hopes of finding clean clothes at the bottom where he had not bothered to look yet. Laundry days were just not important enough for him until there literally was nothing remotely wearable and even then it took him a day or two to realize it.

Maybe having a girlfriend would make that a little different soon, but he was still adjusting.

"You're not going to be glued to Sakura?" Sasuke retorted without looking up from his book- or rather the notebook he was scribbling another cat into on his bed.

Naruto made a sound that was part laugh part growl. "Don't sound so bitter. If you wanted a girlfriend you could have one in two seconds flat. If I take you outside right now I bet I can find a girl who'd jump on that train in two seconds. It's not my fault you're lonely."

The face Sasuke was making when Naruto finally emerged was similar to the one he made when the blonde showed up smelling of beer and someone else's vomit after a party.

"Okay, I wouldn't be able to guarantee it was a great match." Naruto defended himself, smirking as he threw a relatively clean black shirt over his head. "But I digress. Dinner?"

"I can't be your date."

"You're breaking my heart."

"I have to meet this girl for a project I have to work on." As he said it he remembered how much he was not looking forward to the project again although now the reasons had changed from the work being difficult to the fact that several of the pages of the new sketchbook he was using were filled with quick line drawings of Hinaga Hyuuga's hands.

And he wasn't an idiot he knew his skill level. They were in black and white but it would be pretty darn difficult not to recognize them, especially if you were Hinata Hyuuga.

He didn't really feel like having to explain that one.

"You're meeting a girl at least." Naruto shrugged, sitting down on his bed to blink at his friend, noting for once that he seemed genuinely irritated. "One step in the right direction. Is she annoying?"

"Yes and no." Sasuke shrugged again lightly, picking up the notebook he had been doodling on. "It's Hinata Hyuuga, actually."

At the name Naruto sat up, blue eyes wide. "Oh. Shit that would be awkward. How many words did you guys say to each other when you met up this morning? More or less than ten?"

"You're a dick." It was a statement of fact rather than an insult when Sasuke said it somehow and Naruto didn't even let it go through his ear canal. "She's a sweetheart though, you bastard. You weren't mean were you?"

For a moment Sasuke didn't reply, his pen scratching at the page in front of him, eyes decidedly fixed on the sketch.

Naruto allowed his face to droop into disappointed. "Sasuke."

"She was being annoying."

"You dick." And, likewise when Naruto said it somehow it held the tang of truth rather than the start of a fight. "Be nice, she's really sweet. Doesn't say much but Sakura has nothing but good things to say about her, and I've literally never seen anything cuter than watching her get flustered. Sometimes I'd do stuff just to watch her get beet red." He wrinkled his nose as he remembered.

"I thought you had a girlfriend." Sasuke muttered, a little irritably although he was uncomfortably aware of wondering what kind of stuff he was talking about.

"Hinata is adorable. Sakura is..." Naruto paused momentarily, as though words failed him and when Sasuke finally raised his black eyes in inquiry he smirked broadly. "I'd say sexy but it doesn't do it justice."

"Your corniness is getting all over the room. Get out."

"So seriously, no dinner? It's only four, you couldn't run into town with me before meeting her?" The blonde asked again, standing to grab his jacket off the chair by his desk. Sasuke looked up sharply. "It's four?"

"Yeah."

"Fuck, I'm late already." Throwing himself off the bed the Uchiha spun, grabbing items he needed quickly before patting his pockets front and back with one hand. "Where the hell is the cell phone?"

"The one that doesn't belong to you?" Naruto's expression conveyed how amused he was if his tone didn't already. "You've been all over the place lately. I'm feeling put together next to you."

"At least I'm wearing clean clothes." Sasuke snapped, looking under the bed where he had been texting earlier but to no avail. "Shit, I can't find it. I have to go."

"Whose gonna text you on that thing anyway?" The blonde frowned at him a little.

"Never mind." Sasuke was already out the door, wondering just how many times he was going to have to run down the dorm hall late for something this week.

"Be nice to her!" Naruto yelled down the hall at him. "If Sakura and the rest of her posse hear about you treating her like crap- oh shit- her cousin Neji- Sasuke!" But he was gone already and Naruto shook his head. "Well... I tried to warn him."

* * *

When he finally found her she had commandeered one of the corners of the library that people were always eyeing because it was prime real estate. The table was situated in a corner near the back where mostly volumes on taxes and city bylaw were stored, so it got little traffic. There was an electric outlet close enough to the table that charging phones and lap tops was not an awkward tangle of wires, and behind the table was the floor to ceiling windows that faced towards the gardens at the back of the campus. Dimly lit, with a cushioned bench that followed the length of the windows it was by far the best place in the library to study.

And Hinata had moved right in.

Her lap top and books had spread everywhere, several stacks about scrub jay behavior were flipped open to varying pages and her lists of favorite words were back. She had spread her jacket and scarf and bag on the bench right by the window and was essentially cocooned in the fabrics bobbing her head to her purple headphones as she clicked through stills of scrub jays on her browser.

Sasuke watched her for a moment as he approached, realizing that all in all. She had nested.

Her eyes flickered up at the movement of his approach and he watched as clear dislike fluttered briefly over her gaze before she looked back down to her lap top, despite removing her head phones.

He was twenty minutes late.

"I didn't think you were coming..." she began slowly.

For a moment he stood by the chair he could or could not occupy and wondered what she would prefer. His preference would be to turn around and go back to his room, but just looking at all the work she had spread everywhere made him feel bad. And that was before remembering his earlier behavior, and the look from Naruto he had just received.

Hoping it was the right choice he pulled the chair out and sat. "Sorry."

Her eyes lifted to him again at his word, as if calculating how true the syllable sounded. Whatever her decision it appeared he was not found wanting and with a little sigh she picked up a book from beside her. "I was wondering what kind of medium you were hoping to use."

Looking at her now with her questioning face he was surprised. There was no irritated tone, no cocky attitude. Her eyes lingered on him with curiosity. "If the colors are soft... um... I want to say maybe with water color in the background and the jay is really bright I could potentially use that in the story, but... I was not sure if you..." She paused, feeling a little uncomfortable under his straight unwavering stare. "Is something wrong?"

What had Naruto said?

 _I've literally never seen anything cuter than watching her get flustered._

Perhaps it was because he put it in his head, or because her pale gray eyes were wide and open and a color he couldn't name or perhaps it was because he had been thinking about her hands all day and then feeling guilty all day or even more so perhaps because he wanted to see if the blonde was right.

He wasn't sure, but one of those reasons sufficed and he reached out, taking her chin in his hand. "What color are your eyes? I don't know if I could paint that color if I tried."

It was instant. Gaze widening like a deer before an oncoming train she gasped and the flash of heat to her face actually radiated into his fingers before he pulled back, studying the way the few delicate freckles on her nose and cheeks disappeared under the ensuing rush of blood up her neck and face.

Her hair came like a curtain around her as she buried her face in her hands for a minute. "Ah! I... I... they're gray. They're just gray!" She gasped, pulling back from him a little, hiding behind her fingers.

A slow steady unwavering smirk spread over Sasuke's mouth then as he watched her shrink, and he took note to inform the blonde that he was right.

Generally Sasuke didn't find things adorable, but in this case... he had to give credit where credit was due.

* * *

 _What was that all about?_ Hinata scrambled through the courtyard towards her dorm with her hands gripping her bag so tightly they hurt in the cold evening air. Her shoulders hunched, not against the bite of the freezing wind but from discomfort and the red sheen that had yet to leave her face.

They had sat there going over the book for nearly two hours and the entire time any moment that her gaze rose to meet his instantly she would flush red, watching with a morbid torturous fascination as a smirk spread over the usually unsmiling mouth of the most unpleasant young man she had had the unfortunate luck to be around.

Climbing up the stairs she frowned, her awkwardness turning steadily into frustration and then full on irritation until she was positively fuming by the time she got in the door.

It was something else to see a Hyuuga fuming, it involved plagues and ominous clouds, but Hinata Hyuuga was a different thing altogether. The moment the door opened it was like the creaking hinges of a horror movie and with the vibe of a murderous poltergeist she walked into the room, making Tenten stop talking with Ino and stare.

"...Hinata?" Tenten began slowly, eyes wide. "Are you...?"

At the sound of the caring comforting voice of her friend and their wide eyed loving faces Hinata felt the anger deflate right out of her, and tears spring to her eyes.

"Ugh!" She heaved throwing her heavy bag onto the floor before flopping face down onto her bed, letting out a weak string of adorable sounds that Ino smirked at, assuming they were as close to swearing as Hinata ever got.

"How did the meeting with Vampire Boy go?" Tenten finally dared when Hinata had curled into a ball on her bedspread with her face shoved into the pillows so as to avoid them seeing the blaze of heat that mentioning him could conjure.

It was worse than with Naruto. He had never been so mean. The mix of embarrassment and fury was not helping the blood stay out of her cheeks.

"Vampire Boy?" Ino laughed. "We're talking about the Uchiha?"

"Yep." Tenten grinned. "Again. That's twice in one day, the poor girl has been overexposed to pompous. You're working on a book right?"

"A children's book." Hinata's muffled voice replied from behind the fabric and stuffing of her white pillow, her arms tightened around it for a moment.

"And how did it go?" Tenten laughed a little, standing up to sit on the edge of Hinata's bed with her, hand reaching to rub her back gently. "I'm guessing it could have gone better?"

"...I..." Hinata began, her voice thick within the pillow. "I...don't think I can even talk about it."

"Aw, hun." Ino's sympathetic cry was tinged with blatant amusement. "Sasuke is prickly but I promise he's usually okay once you get past all the thorns. Was he being irritable?"

Silence replied from behind the pillow as Hinata thought, her brain twitching at the memory of his dark eyes leaning into her face, studying her so intently she thought surely he could read the thoughts within her head. And then the smooth feel of his fingers on her chin had ripped through her being like a bolt of lightening. He had not been mean, in fact. Perhaps even the opposite.

"I don't even know." She finally sighed, pulling out from behind the pillow to blink at her friends. The tears were glittering in her eyes although they held on to her lashes for dear life- or rather for her dear self respect.

"You don't know?" Ino cocked her head at her curiously.

"He was being a jerk. She wouldn't be upset otherwise." Tenten rolled her eyes. "Just, Hinata has a hard time saying anyone was being anything negative, ever. Right?" She turned back to Hinata who was frowning a little. Man, did she sound like a push over.

"It was fine. It was just... ugh." she shivered and buried her face into the pillow again, feeling the heat like an actual flame licking at her ears. "It was so very awkward. I feel sick."

"You're not even fully recovered from that cold." Tenten sighed, moving to get their electric kettle going. "I'll make you some tea okay. Just go to bed, Ino and I were done chatting anyway. Right?"

"Yep." Ino stood, brushing her pants off lightly as she gathered her things. "Keep your chin up, Hinata. As one of the only girls not on his fanclub or drooling after him I'm sure Sasuke will warm up to you soon." She smiled. "He really became much more pleasant to me after I started dating Sai."

Peering at her blonde friend over her pillow Hinata let out a sigh. "Oh I don't know." Tenten muttered as she opened the door for Ino to step out. "Last time they met Hinata called him unpleasant to his face remember? So..."

"Ah!" Hinata gasped from the bed, shoving her face once more into her pillow. Maybe if she pressed hard enough and stayed long enough she would die and none of the awkwardness she was experiencing would ever have to manifest in her body ever again.

Laughing at her reaction Ino waved. "See you chickies later. You're fine, Hinata!"

"...I wish I was so sure." Hinata whimpered from her bed, eyes closed tight only to find she could see Sasuke's mouth with a slight hardly visible turn of his lips upwards.

She wasn't sure at all.

* * *

"You up for a party tomorrow night?"

Sasuke didn't even bother looking up from his sketchbook, outlining the face on the page with care, fingers moving slowly over the white smoothness of the page, recalling again the heart shaped curve of her chin, and the wide disbelieving eyes that had stared at him.

"No."

"You always say that. It's almost time for Reading Break, we're supposed to relax during our breaks you know. You have to at least go to one."

"Why the hell would I bother going into a house where drunken irritating people I don't associate with during the week are all packed together listening to music too loud to hear each other and vomiting when they've had too much? Why would I do that?" He was in a good mood and so the words tumbled out of him in a torrent. Naruto eyed him from his desk where he was bothering to try his hand at one of his assignments. It wasn't going well.

But the conversation about the party did look more promising. "Wow. That was...enlightening." the blonde grinned. "You're chatty."

"No."

"Yes, you actually talked long enough that I considered no longer paying attention. That's a first, usually it's one word answers. I can't even insult you by ignoring you, pompous bastard that you are."

"I'm not going."

"Sasuke." And the fact he used his name made Sasuke pause, looking at him with a frown not of irritation which was his common expression when dealing with Naruto at all but of confusion. His friend looked a little uncomfortable as he stared out the window rather than at his roommate. "I... I do kind of need you to come to this one, please. Just for a bit. I won't force you to stay long." His tone was steady but the fact he was using words like please put the hair on the back of Sasuke's neck on end.

"...what?" The Uchiha continued frowning, lowering his sketchbook and pen onto the smoothness of his freshly made bed.

Naruto didn't look at him again, although he raised his shoulders in a "I dunno." fashion, rubbing the back of his neck hard. "Uh... it's kind of stupid..."

"I figured."

"Yeah, but I still need you to go."

"You're going to have to tell me."

"Aw... come on." Naruto allowed himself a little bite of whine before letting his knee vibrate anxiously for a minute. Broad shoulders sighing tiredly he hung his head.

"I...haven't seen you and Sakura around each other since we got together..." He began and Sasuke's frown only deepened. This was not what he had been expecting, not at all. "What?" He allowed the puzzlement to tinge his voice heavily. "What are you talking about?"

"I just... I guess i just want to see how she does with you around. I haven't... um... I am a little worried maybe it was all just... a passing thing, with me." He allowed his blue eyes to travel over the room to Sasuke who was staring at him with his jaw clenched with dislike. "Naruto."

"Let's call it Sasuke Exposure. I just wanna see."

"You're being an idiot." Sasuke growled, standing up and moving to his drawing desk, adjusting the angle with hard aggressive twists of the handles.

"Don't be like that." Naruto muttered, flopping onto Sasuke's bed beside his sketchbook. "I just get nervous. Sakura is... so freaking amazing ...and she's been into you so many times on and off."

"We were children when it started. She's also had infatuations with things like Elmo and that faded."

"She wasn't into Elmo six months ago." Naruto grumbled. "She was into you."

"Fine." Sasuke grumbled, slamming a meter long piece of water color paper onto the surface of his desk hard, making the light of his lamp shiver. "Fine, I'll go to the stupid party but only for a bit. I'm not staying."

"You'll talk to her at least once, right?" Naruto's tone was very quiet and Sasuke squinted at him in disbelief. "Naruto, if Sakura finds out about this she's going to kill you."

"Yes." The blonde agreed, turning the sketchbook Sasuke had left open on his bed to face him, eyeing the drawing on it idly. "So, let's pray that doesn't happen. Don't say anything to anyone."

"Hn." the grunt was reassuring in it's lack of articulation and secrets and Naruto smiled slightly, focusing on the image he was looking at with widening eyes.

"Yo... is this... Hinata?" He began and watched as Sasuke's back and shoulders stiffened where he had been setting out brushes and tubes of water color onto the shelf beside his desk.

After a five second silence he rolled his shoulders, dislodging the tension visibly. "What? Who?"

"This?" Naruto lifted the sketchbook, eyebrows raised high. "This... looks an awful lot like-"

"No." Sasuke shook his head, glancing only briefly at the sketchbook. "Not at all."

"She looks pretty... uh... surprised?" Naruto continued, a growing smirk spreading over his face. "One could even say she looked... flustered."

Sasuke had stopped moving again and raised his hands up to lace behind his head, staring at their dorm room door in silence, waiting.

"Oh shit." Naruto whispered, pushing himself to a sitting position to flip through the last few pages covered in varying versions of Hinata's pale gray eyes and plump mouth. "You... you... you have the hots for Hinata Hyuuga!"

"No. I don't." Sasuke grumbled, snatching the book out of his hands and throwing it onto the desk. "Stop poking through my things."

"What the- you... and I just never..." Naruto looked stricken and then positively giddy, shoulders hunching as though someone had handed him a puppy and it's cute was overwhelming. "I can't believe it. Here I thought the possibility of you being gay was pretty high!"

"Ugh!" Sasuke snapped, smacking the back of his head with a little more force than he usually would. "Shut up or get out. I can't stand you right now and I have to work."

"You and Hinata, huh?" Naruto laughed, rubbing his head where a possible concussion was developing. "I don't know why I never thought of it, but hey-"

"No. It's not like that! And stop it. Stop smiling like that." Sasuke growled, arranging his paint palette brusquely. "You're driving me nuts. I'm not interested in that girl."

"Well, whatever. You obviously think she's cute." Naruto nodded at the sketchbook. "I bet you had to do something to make her look like that. What'd you do?"

And the strike on actual solid truth had the agonizing effect of making Sauske's neck flame with heat resulting in a crowing victorious Naruto laughing on his bed. "I am taking full credit if this works out, just so you know. I'm like cupid!"

"I'm going." Sasuke finally growled, abandoning his work and grabbing his jacket from the floor by his bed, beneath it the phone he had lost earlier in the day blinked at him, a handful of messages visible on it's pale screen.

Letting out a breath he scooped it up and throwing his jacket on moved towards the door.

"Sasuke and Hinata, sitting in a tree!" Naruto began, swaying his arms over his head in an awkward teasing dance. "K-I-S-S-I-N-" And Sasuke slammed the door closed, stalking down the hall as fast as he could before Naruto flung it open again. "Careful with her cousin by the way! He packs a punch and he's way over protective!" He shouted down the hall, but Sasuke didn't look back, disappearing out the door into the cool evening without even a snappy come back.

And Naruto grinned because finally, there was a possibility his best friend wasn't a vampire. Thank God.

* * *

 **Do you ever just want to punch your roommate in the face?**

 _ **Well... no. But besides trying to kill me with ballads she's pretty good most of the time. Is yours not?**_

 **He's fine. Just stupid.**

 _ **I guess there's worse things than stupid...**_

 **I'm getting the feeling that you're entirely too kind.**

 _ **I didn't think you could be too kind.**_

 **I think you just proved me right.**

 _ **Well, I did take your advice earlier and I doubt that the guy I spoke to thought I was too kind.**_

 **I'm glad to hear that. Sometimes a good smack is what a person needs. I may go back to my room mate to make use of that truth.**

 _ **I didn't smack him!**_

 **Too bad. And, to answer your earlier text, about the dancer in my sketchbook. I saw her briefly in the foyer of the arts building. They were having some sort of auditions I suppose. There were a lot of them. I can't really tell you why I decided to draw her. I just did.**

 _ **It's really beautiful. She's really beautiful.**_

Sasuke stared at the last text, walking along the street to nowhere, wondering how to reply. He knew which of his sketches she was referring to. He wasn't sure what kind of dance they were going to be performing, the dancer had not bothered with a tutu or anything so suggestive. She was in a black shirt and white tights, her hair was down, red and blazing against the dark and light of her clothes. While he wandered by she had taken two small steps on the balls of her feet, reminding him with her back to him of a fawn over freshly fallen snow, and then as though it were the simplest thing in the world she had raised her back leg, catching the ankle with her hands, making herself a piece of abstract art, a body twisted into the intricacies of a jeweled necklace, a band of twisted branches for a woodland crown.

He had sat down in the hall and drawn her right there. He spent the next two days finishing the sketch, capturing the stretch of the muscles, the strength of her joints, the pop of bones at her wrist and ankles and hips.

Oddly he didn't feel like letting whoever he was texting think the girl was anything but a subject, like the bird and the tree.

 **I haven't seen her again. She only captured my attention for about ten seconds. The things I draw sometimes lose their edge fast. I miss it sometimes because of how quickly it fades.**

Frowning he stared at the sent text, pondering the fact that this was likely the most explanatory thing he had ever said to anyone about his work, and what he chose to use as his models. He had been asked before and had not bothered to reply and yet here he was explaining to some stranger how sometimes things shone brilliant and in the blink of an eye it was gone, the beauty turning mundane.

 _ **I get that.**_

Sasuke looked long at the reply, the three simple words glowing back at him in the dim glow of a streetlight.

If she really did understand it, then she was the first. It was making his heart race and his stomach sick all at the same time.

* * *

 **Like I said. Not happy with this chapter. Meh. Sorry guys.**

 **Inky**


	5. Chapter 5

_**Aw man, I was so excited at the improvement of my flamer. I really was. There was potential. And then all of a sudden they reverted back to the lazy copy and paste routine.**_

 _ **So saddened by it. I mean, to see burn out so quickly is just disappointing.**_

 ** _But oh well. At least they're still around, reading my stuff. I mean, it must give them some sort of strange satisfaction or they wouldn't bother surely, right? Just feeling emotional about my little padawan writer. I was hoping they would move forward in their literacy. Maybe there's still hope. Are you out there Flamer dear? Do you hear the high hopes I have for you?_**

 ** _Much love,_**

 ** _Inky ;)_**

* * *

 _ **Good morning.**_

He blinked sleepily at the cell phone, surprised to see it flashing in the darkness of so early a morning it was still technically night in his brain. He had stayed up rather late, blearily squinting at images of blue birds and nests on a water color expanse of paper that covered most of his floor and bed and any other surface that would support the images until they dried.

Idly he had painted the backgrounds of a woodland, the flashing of creeks and the tall elegant grasses of a field but it was the round shape of a girl's mouth and her bright stunned eyes that kept creeping into his thoughts despite his best intentions.

So, at one in the morning he had crawled into bed, switching off the light finally and joining Naruto in a harmony of deep sleepy breaths. Until still in the cover of darkness his phone buzzed beside his head.

 **The sun usually has to have risen for me to consider it morning. What are you doing at this awful hour?**

 _ **I'm so sorry! I didn't even think! Please go back to sleep!**_

He was smirking in his half sleep state, rubbing idly at his lashes with a fist before replying.

 **I could have ignored you. Don't worry about it.**

 _ **I feel really bad. Please go back to sleep. I'll talk to you later.**_

 **Okay.**

And after a few minutes staring at the silent screen he added.

 **Really, don't worry about it.**

 _ **Why aren't you sleeping!**_

It was nice having someone say good morning.

* * *

"I am so dumb." Hinata whispered, pressing her face into her knee where she had it raised on the couch to tie her running shoes. What had she been thinking? Actually, scratch that. She had not been thinking which is why she had texted. Half asleep she had dragged her sorry butt out of bed and began dressing awkwardly in the shadows for her morning run. She had not been doing her usual routine of late since the surprisingly forgotten incident with Naruto in the library and her body was starting to feel sluggish.

Tenten who would usually have been up before her and bouncing with energy at the thought of a run was still sleeping, her hair in a disarray of chocolate brown locks and her face soft and docile. She had stayed up very late studying and Hinata had made the decision to let her sleep in. Despite all the toughness that the girl displayed, once in a while a little extra sleep would help her a lot and Hinata knew she wouldn't take the needed rest on her own.

Feeling fidgety and awkward she moved towards the door, glancing briefly in the mirror to study herself in her running gear. Tenten had demanded she buy proper attire if she was going to be training with her and as a result she was decked out like an athlete when really she just ran because it was the easiest work out she could fit into her schedule at University. Tightening her ponytail one more time she sighed, and straightened her lavender jacket over her running pants. At least in the proper gear she wasn't going to freeze to death outside.

With the cell phone in her pocket she started out the door, stretching her arms as she walked, glancing outside at the looming darkness of early morn. How could she have possibly forgotten what time it was? Five thirty in the morning was too early to be texting anyone let alone someone she didn't know.

"Ugh. He must think I'm an idiot." She mumbled, feeling her cheeks heat up despite herself. Out in the quiet of the campus she began to walk, looking at all the dark windows of the dorm rooms with interest, wondering if she could be walking past him now. There were so many however she was sure that was unlikely. He could be at a frat house instead of a dorm. Maybe even living off campus in an apartment.

Biting her lip she wandered past one of the bigger boy dormitories and eyed it thoughtfully. That was where Naruto and Sasuke shared. Wrinkling her nose a little at the thought of the Uchiha she shivered and began to speed up her walk to a jog towards the nearby park. Later on she was going to have to meet with that man again. She was not looking forward to it, not at all.

* * *

Friday was the one day that Sasuke and Naruto both had early morning classes and it never went particularly well.

"Get out of my way." Sasuke snapped, shoving Naruto out of the doorway of the closet only to feel the weight of the broad shouldered blonde hit his side and crush him into the closet wall. "I have to get dressed as much as you, bastard. Don't get snappy."

"You could wear your pajamas, they're probably the cleanest things you own right now."

"Listen, I'm not a woman, I don't mind using things more than once, unlike some fruity guy I know."

"Filthy moron, get out of the way. I'm going to be late again." Sasuke shoved with his shoulder and managed to grab a button down shirt off a hanger before stumbling back as the monstrosity that was his room mate continued to rummage among the mess of clothes on the closet floor.

"Gah." Sasuke growled mildly, throwing the shirt on quickly. He had not managed to leave the dorm on time in the entirety of the week and he was not about to let this particular Friday get away from him. He was going to get to class on time, so help him.

"You're going to be late." He threw at Naruto as he gathered his books and opened the door. Naruto shoved past him, throwing his back pack on as he stepped into the hall. "Nope. No way."

"Fuck, what is it with us and Fridays." Sasuke grumbled. "You need to get your big ass out of my way, I would have been early if it weren't for you."

"Whatever." Naruto smirked, ruffling Sasuke's hair and making him curse violently as they stepped out into the frigid morning, both hissing with dislike at the bite of the cold. "Damn." Naruto gasped, shoving his hands into his pockets after raising the scarf around his neck to cover his chin.

"Hn." Sasuke agreed, flipping the collar of his black jacket up as well, eyes wandering over the still quiet campus. On Friday only a few classes were held early on, most students got to sleep in until nine and it was then that the crowds came out. As it were only a few people were wandering around towards the different faculties and idly he shifted his books in his hands, meandering on the cobblestone path past their dorm only to freeze beside Naruto at the sound of a little muffled shriek.

"What the?" Naruto spun, looking behind them and then back. "Did you hear that?"

In the stillness of the early morning the sun was a slate gray source of light, above the clouds were thick but formless and in the chill the sound seemed to bounce off the frozen world as another disgruntled cry echoed.

"Where...?" Naruto began and then lifted his eyes behind Sasuke where one of the largest trees on campus swayed in the cool wind. Through the thick branches a flash of purple flickered and the boys wandered slowly to the trunk in time to see a girl's shape try to get her feet under her again on a branch and fail because of the frozen dew that made every aspect of the tree a slip and slide.

She wasn't high, but she wasn't so low they could just watch her fall, so like the slightly sleepy pair they were both the boys dropped their things and with arms out-

OOMPH!

"Ah!" Hinata gasped, wincing visibly as she tried to sit up. She had landed on someone! Face a red so hot it was burning her skin she twisted and tried to scramble off, eyes widening to saucers when Naruto's blonde head and flinching blue eyes peered at her as he rubbed his back. "Oh no!" She gasped, scrambling back only to feel her shoulder blades slamming into someone's chest and startled she turned to see the one face she had absolutely not expected.

Okay. She could die now. That would be absolutely fine.

Sasuke Uchiha frowned at her, dark eyes so close to her she could feel his breath on her cheek as he let out a frustrated sigh. She was, essentially in his lap and with a sound like a cat's tail getting squashed she scrambled to her feet, slamming herself against the trunk of the tree she had been climbing. "Oh! Oh... Oh god. I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!" She blinked at them, covering her face as much as she could with her one free hand. In the other she had a bundle of twigs and dry grass.

Naruto let out a snort and then a laugh as he pulled himself to his feet. "Hinata! Good morning. Now, explain to me what the hell you were doing up a tree at seven am. Please." He grumbled good naturedly as he pushed himself to his feet.

Her breath was not slowing down and she panted a little as she looked between the two boys, blinking back tears of actual humiliation.

"I...I... argh, I'm so sorry!"

"Yes. We gathered that." Sasuke snapped, pushing himself to his feet, looking her over as she stood there. Irritably he grabbed at her forearm making her let out a squeak as he examined the scratch along her exposed wrist and the back of her hand from the trunk of the tree as she came down. "You're bleeding. What the hell were you doing up there?" He turned his dark eyes to her and sucked in air slowly. Her pale eyes blinked rapidly at him, lashes wet and thick and dark against her skin and the grayness of her iris.

"I... I saw a nest and I thought... I wanted to look at it... for... for the book." she gasped, and his eyes drifted from her pink face to the bundle of twigs in her hand that now had a distinct shape. It was a very well built nest to have survived the fall and it's sturdiness made him start, taking it from her.

"Hm." He murmured, letting go of her arm after a moment.

Naruto eyed them, biting at a smirk to keep it from getting too wide. "Yo, Hinata. Here." He mumbled, pulling his back pack up on his shoulder and ruffling around in one of the pockets for a packet of tissues. "You're going to get blood all over your clothes.

Eyes lowered the girl took the tissue with a nod. "..t-thanks. I... I'm so sorry."

"Don't worry about it." The blonde laughed, tugging lightly on her bangs and making her roast again , hand reaching up to touch where he had on her hair. "I'm just glad we caught ya- although I think Sasuke got the worst of it."

Sasuke frowned then, looking up at the blonde and fixing him with a distasteful look over the collar of his black jacket. "We're late. Let's go." He muttered, turning away and starting down the path abruptly.

Hinata started at his sudden departure, blinking after him confusedly as Naruto rolled his eyes. "Shy bastard." He grumbled, taking a few steps after him. "You sure you're okay, Hinata?" He turned to look at her curiously and she blinked at him, nodding rapidly. "Yes.. I'm okay. Thank you."

"No worries. Like I said..." The blonde nodded over his shoulder at the quickly vanishing Uchiha down the path. "I think he got the worst of it."

"Right." Hinata murmured, eyes following where he motioned to. It seemed strange to have Sasuke Uchiha willing to catch anyone falling out of a tree. The idea sat uncomfortably in her head and she cocked her head a little, realizing too that he had taken the nest!

He had not asked if it was okay, as if he had known she had had him in mind when she found it. He had taken it without a word and she was puzzled about whether that meant he was rude or if maybe they were on the same train of thought.

"See ya later, Hinata!" Naruto waved as he ran to catch up to his friend.

The girl watched him, blinking rapidly as her embarrassment faded a little, puzzled that she had not floundered to speak in front of the blonde at all.

"Maybe I am over it?" She muttered, watching him disappear around the corner, unaffected and a little glad for it.

* * *

Sasuke sat at the back of the class as was his usual way and threw his books absently on the counter, eyeing the nest in his hands with interest. It was dirty and covered the smooth white surface of the table top with debris. However he was interested in the twisted craftsmanship in it and didn't really care it was leaving dusty stains on the tips of his fingers.

The rest of his class mates flooded in after him, some eyeing him curiously but no one saying a word. It was rare that anyone had the guts to ask him anything, even "How are you" because aside from giving them a snappy uninterested answer he rarely ever said anything at all. At the front Professor Kurenai wandered in and began chatting amiably with the class. Confident that he would not be noticed he slouched a bit and pulled out his sketchbook and pens, studying the nest from different angles before starting a rapid rough sketch of the twisting turns the branches had taken. Somehow the mother and father of this little nest had got a hold of lace, bits were twisted through the branches and gasses and the white seemed both out of place and yet perfectly woven through.

He was annoyed with the Hyuuga for doing something so stupid as to climb a tree but he had to admit, this was a good find. He could hardly get the study of it down on paper fast enough. He was so immersed in it that he almost didn't notice the flash of light on his phone as a text was received.

Blinking he glanced at it and hesitated to stop before grabbing the device and hiding it beneath the table top, eyes flashing up to Kurenai who was busy showing an image of a clay sculpture to the class.

 _ **I seem to be doing a lot of apologizing this morning. I'm really sorry about waking you up so early. This Friday is not starting off very well.**_

Smirking a little he checked again to see where Kurenai was at and glanced back down.

 **I think there's at least one person having a rougher start than you did out there. I witnessed a pretty bad morning. I told you not to worry about it.**

 _ **Okay.**_

 **I wanted to ask about some of the names in your notebook. At the back. I was going to draw another Hell-no Cat but it was already taken. What's with the list?**

 _ **Oh. They're my favorite authors and poets. I wish there was more on the list but honestly I'm kind of picky.**_

 **What's wrong with being selective?**

 _ **Nothing, I suppose. I guess it seems a little snobby sometimes to people.**_

 **Is that what you're wanting to do though? You want to be an author? Or a poet?**

 _ **No. I don't think my family would approve of the starving artist career choice.**_

Sasuke stared, unblinking at her reply, at how much of what she had said in that small sentence he actually understood. Before he could say anything else another text popped up.

 _ **Are you going to pursue your art though? I sure hope so. I can't imagine you not being able to be in high demand fast.**_

Ironically Sasuke glanced at his own sketchbook, the half drawn nest looking like it's realistic twin sitting next to it. When he was finished the nests would look identical and from the right angle it would be hard to tell which one was on the page and which one was real.

But he was an Uchiha, and there were certain expectations. He had known them all along. As long as he knew what the result was going to be at the end of his education he was free to study what he liked. The finish line would always be the same- the corporate world and the boring suffocating rise of his career in Uchiha Enterprises where his brother was already slaving away.

 **I'm actually going to be going into the family business.**

Thinking he pondered if he should add anything and then sighed, pushing forward a little awkwardly.

 **So I get what you mean, about family not approving.**

Instantly, almost a second after sending the text his phone buzzed again.

 _ **I'm sad to think you won't be working on what you so obviously love. I'm really sad about it. I don't know what else to say.**_

He frowned, feeling himself shift uncomfortably in his own skin. Licking his lips he glanced around, catching at least one pair of fluttering girl eyes on him before the owner looked away sheepishly. It was not unusual to catch a girl watching him, he hardly ever noticed it nowadays.

But suddenly he was scanning the class, searching although he knew she wouldn't be in the room for the face of the one sending the words he was looking at.

Unsure of how to proceed he put the phone down, staring at it like it had suddenly become and untrustworthy thing.

The flash of the screen made him blink nervously again and he stared at it, reading the next words with a little bit of relief.

 _ **If you're curious about a good poet though, try Rilke. My poems are toddler steps compared to his dancing.**_

Smirking Sasuke shook his head a little, amused.

 **You're the only person I know who would compare things by using toddler steps and dancing. I think you're doing just fine.**

A long pause followed the message and for a moment he wondered if he had said something wrong but then there was the soft flash of the phone again as he picked up his pencil to continue drawing.

 _ **Thank you for saying that. It means a lot to me.**_

* * *

Whoever he was, he had fixed her day in the span of a few seconds, with just a couple of words typed across a tiny screen.

Hinata sat on the bench outside of Tenten's class in the chill of the late morning, staring at the phone with a silly unrestrained smile on her face, cheeks just the barest pink and heart all a flutter in her chest.

After showering and changing she had felt only a minuscule bit better, although Tenten laughing hysterically when she told her about the fall from the tree and the consequent catching by both the boys she wanted to avoid the most did cheer her up. If only for a minute.

Now however she was feeling a lot better and found she couldn't get the smile off her face even when Ino plopped down beside her with a huff. "Hina-chan!" She grinned back. "Wow, you're looking particularly pretty today! You're... sparkly."

"Oh!" Hinata laughed nervously, shoving the phone into her bag quickly. "Thank you, Ino..."

"Good thing too, because you're coming to a party with me and Tenten tonight." The blonde flashed her a grin. "Or rather, you're Tenten's date. I am going with Sai."

"Oh... no, I can't." Hinata frowned at her a little, suddenly forgetting her good mood. "I... Neji-nii doesn't really like it when I-"

"He's not here." Ino smiled broadly at her. "Tenten told me he's away for the week, he's not back until Wednesday, so he doesn't have to know."

"I'm... I'm not sure..." Hinata mumbled, fidgeting with the black buttons on her coat. "I'm not... very good at parties and-"

"Listen." Ino put in suddenly with a sigh, a little more serious. "Tenten won't go if you don't. She's on her own and I'm going with Sai and Sakura is going with her loud blonde."

"Naruto." Hinata supplied softly, to which Ino squinted her eyes a little. "You're not into him still are you?"

"N-no!" The brunette gasped, waving her hands a little in front of her. "No! I promise."

"Sakura felt a little bad about it. Which is probably why she hasn't mentioned it to you." The blonde smirked, cocking her head. "But if you're okay with it that does make things much easier."

"I still don't know about the party though, Ino... I'm not-" Hinata hesitated, stopping when she saw a flood of students coming out of the building behind them, among them Tenten, who had a great big smile on her face at the sight of two of her friends waiting. "Hey!"

"Hi, darling!" Ino grinned, tugging her down to sit beside her on the bench. "Hinata just agreed to come to the party with you!"

"Oh!" Tenten looked genuinely surprised, as did Hinata who stared at Ino with raised brows hidden by her bangs. She had never considered Ino conniving but now she wasn't sure why. "That's so great, Hinata- I really wanted to go but I didn't think you'd be up to it!"

"Ah..." Hinata breathed out softly, lifting her eyes to Tenten's brown gaze slowly, smiling weakly. "I know... I'll... come for a bit, okay? I can't... stay too long. Neji-"

"We just won't tell him." Tenten's smile was a thousand megawatts of happy. "And I'll keep you safe, I promise!"

Frowning a little Hinata fidgeted again with her buttons, nervously wondering what she would tell Neji when he got back and asked what she had been up to. This would hail the very first University party she had ever been to.

 _People go to parties all the time._ She stood and followed the girls as they headed to the cafeteria for an early lunch, trying to calm herself. _It'll be fine. I'll be fine._

Somehow she wasn't feeling particularly trusting of her own thoughts.

* * *

"Are you having lunch with us?" Naruto tapped on Sasuke's head to get his attention. The Uchiha glared at him, removing the headphones before giving him a better stink eye. "What?"

"Are you going to be eating or will you just be devouring the souls of innocent individuals for nourishment today?" Naruto inquired innocently, face completely serious. "Just wondering, Shikamaru and Choji are just heading to the cafeteria. I'm going with."

"I can't." Sasuke waved him off, moving to put his head phones back on. "I have to finish some of this before I see what's-her-name at the library again."

Naruto's grin suddenly wasn't so calm and serious. "You mean _Hinata_."

And the way that he said her name was exactly why Sasuke had avoided using it himself. "Yes. Go stuff your face, leave me alone."

"You need to just ask her out- ask her to the party tonight!" Naruto jabbed him with a finger on the head and Sasuke slapped his hand away from his place at his desk. "Back off."

"It'd make going worth it, no?" the blonde raised an eyebrow. "I mean, you could just stare at her while you work on this project thing you guys have going on but when the project is over how are you going to get your fix?"

"My fix?" Sasuke finally turned to look at him, a little sickened. "Go. Just leave."

"Fiiiine." Naruto shrugged, moving out. "Don't be late for the party okay? The earlier you get there the earlier you can leave."

"Whatever. You're lucky I'm even setting foot in that place. Frat houses are the last place I go if I can help it." Sasuke growled. As the son of a powerful corporation, as one of the highest achieving grade point averages in the university and as magnet for girls he had been approached by several frat houses right off the bat, but like Naruto who had enough brains to see their possible downsides he had stayed clear of them. Instead he tried to be as antisocial as possible and maintained a very relaxed but selective group of friends. Mainly Kiba, Choji, Shikamaru and Naruto.

It worked for him. His brother didn't quite understand it, having been a frat boy himself as a student but there were major differences between the Uchihas and that was hardly the main one.

"Well thank you." Naruto said gently from the doorway, and his tone had enough sincerity to make Sasuke uncomfortable. "I appreciate it. I'll see ya around then. Eat something or you'll pass out." And he closed the door, leaving Sasuke to roll his eyes at him alone before turning back to the sketches in his sketchbook.

His water color paintings were too large to bring to the library so he was going to just leave those for a different time, but as a result he had little to show in regards to the project and knowing how hard Hinata had been working on it the last few times they had met he didn't want to show up with nothing but some unfinished sketches.

Absently he added some more shadows to the nest, glancing at the real thing again for reference before continuing. If he left in another fifteen minutes he would have just enough time to grab a copy of Rilke from the library before he was supposed to meet her again.

Quickly he finished off the design of the cover page and then hurried out the door, hoping the book wouldn't be too difficult to find.

* * *

"You're going to the library?"

Sakura looked a little dumbfounded as Hinata threw things into the bag she had started to use as replacement for her still missing back pack. "Yes. I have to meet... uh..." she paused, realizing of all people to talk to about Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura was her least favorite. For years now anytime anyone so much as mentioned the pale young man Sakura's eyes glazed over and she was prone to behaving in ways that were otherwise out of character, including getting into arguments unnecessarily.

Thankfully Tenten who was trying to do her hair and failing on her bed supplied through a mouthful of hair pins. "She has that children's book thing she has to do."

"Oh." Sakura cocked her head, her pink hair tumbling around her face in smooth silky cotton candy shades. "Damn. I wanted to do something to your hair today for the party. You can't cancel?"

"She's meeting Sasuke." Ino laughed from across the room, taking the pins from Tenten's mouth quickly. "He wouldn't take that well."

"I will be free at four." Hinata supplied gently. "I can get ready then?"

"Your hair is so long though, it's going to take me forever to curl it." Sakura mumbled, taking a handful of the black curtain and letting it tumble through her fingers. "And I wanted to do your nails too."

"N-no!" Hinata gasped, turning to look at her. "They chip and then I'm stuck with elementary school girl hands."

Sakura laughed. "You always say the weirdest things. But I guess you're right."

"We'll all be ready by the time you come and we'll all give you a make over then." Ino winked, making Hinata wince visibly, her eyes drifting to Tenten who smiled. "I won't let them go overboard, Hinata. I promise."

"Overboard? I just want her to look hot. What's wrong with that?" Ino grumbled. "Prudes."

"I... I'll see you guys later." Hinata finally mumbled, grabbing her bag and heading out the door with her head bowed as though that would get the attention they were determined to level at her to deflect. "Bye."

"Hey, don't let him push you around." Tenten pointed at her as Ino twisted a lock of her brown hair and pinned it back. "You're a Hyuuga, kick his Uchiha ass."

"Um... I don't think..." Hinata began unsteadily and then shrugged at the determined look Tenten gave her. "Okay."

"Pffft." Ino laughed, watching as Hinata snuck out the door quickly. "That poor kid."

"I wouldn't want to deal with Sasuke when he's grumpy either." Sakura admitted. "In fact I did, and I didn't like it."

"Masochist that you were." Ino sighed, peeking at Tenten in the mirror and nodding. "There, that's more relaxed."

"But it's all over the place." Tenten complained, touching the curtain of dark brown and gold that tumbled around her shoulders. "It's going to end up a mess."

"Maybe if you're making out with someone." Ino flashed her a grin. "That's an okay kind of mess."

"Ino, you can be such a lech." Sakura rolled her eyes and Ino grinned. "Well, that's why people go to these parties right? Poor Hinata. She's up for a shock I think."

The other two winced a little, knowing she was absolutely right.

* * *

He had arrived significantly more early than he needed to and after finding a book with a compilation of poetry by Rainer Maria Rilke had found a table where Hinata could plug in her lap top and plopped into a chair, perusing the pages of the small blue volume with curiosity.

Around him the library buzzed. Students whispered to each other as they worked and he was well aware that a handful of eyes turned to him on and off, as per usual. Most were of girls, although he had thankfully noticed that after his first year the amount of them daring to come over to flirt or get his number had decreased. He had made each and every one of them strike out, including one of his oldest friends in Sakura. Hope was at an all time low for the chances at the Uchiha. He did rather like it that way.

So, he wasn't surprised either when as Hinata approached and sat across from him a few pairs of eyes watching from the shelf aisles and the other tables turned to look with confusion and curiosity. Obviously there were some questions about their relationship. He was surprised then to find that he rather didn't mind that either.

Let them wonder. Whatever.

Hinata settled across from him at the table, moving with the slow wary movements of someone not quite comfortable and also not quite convinced of danger. Like walking on ice that may or may not be thick enough to support your weight.

"Hi..." she murmured, settling down in her chair and peering at him. Sasuke studied her face, watching again with amusement as pink rose to her cheeks and she looked away. "I'm sorry about this morning. I didn't think the branches were frozen. They were very slippery."

Sasuke didn't say anything for a moment, wondering at her blush. It seemed to him that it had little to do with him as a person, seeing how she had flushed scarlet at the sight of Naruto in the morning. More so it was Hinata herself who was the cause, her embarrassment and awkwardness displayed on her cheeks despite her best intentions to remain calm.

Something about honesty she couldn't control was kind of... endearing. Especially since she seemed to genuinely dislike him sometimes.

"Next time perhaps using a ladder would be a better idea." He muttered, watching her pause from taking her notebooks out of her bag. Pale eyes raised to him with a little frown.

Under her breath as she turned away she muttered. "Well... y..you didn't have to catch me."

He was having a hard time not grinning now. It was too fun to watch her get flustered and then upset. Chiding himself he tried to keep his face steady, leaning back in his chair as he tapped his pen rapidly on the table. "I'm not the kind of person who just lets someone get hurt. Besides, I didn't know it was you."

"I'll make sure to let you know next time... so you don't bother." Her tone had finally got sarcastic and she slammed her laptop on the table and flipped it open, her movements looked angry but somehow she managed to do it all quietly.

Behind the lap top screen he allowed himself a little smile.

"I never said I wouldn't have helped if it was you, just that I didn't know." He shrugged, flipping his book onto it's face to keep his page as he opened his sketchbook. Hinata's eyes flickered to him and then the book, freezing on the cover.

"...is that yours?"

Curiously Sasuke glanced at her from pulling out a handful of cover page options he had worked on earlier. "Yes." he frowned at her. "Why?"

Pale Hyuuga eyes stared at it, blinking rapidly. "...is it for a class?"

Uncertain now of what was happening Sasuke studied her face rather than the book that had her so fixated. "No...again, why?"

"I'm just... surprised. I like Rilke a lot. You don't seem like a poetry kind of person and he's kind of obscure." She mumbled, turning away, her eyes flashing over his books and pens as though searching for something.

Irritated he let out a huff of air. "What does a poetry person look like?" His dark eyes were a challenge and she frowned at him, forgetting whatever it was she had been thinking about at the look in his eye. "N...no I didn't mean it as an insult- I..." she frowned at him then and pushed at her bangs impatiently in that way that always seemed to derail his thoughts, her long fingers fluttering. "Why are you so mad?" she mumbled, slumping into her chair in defeat.

She was frowning at her lap top, her hair a curtain around her little face and the smallest hardly visible pout lingered on her pink bottom lip making him wonder briefly if she was wearing make up of any kind or if it just looked like that naturally.

He wondered then too, how soft it would be if he bit it...and how it would taste if he ran his tongue along it's smoothness.

A shock of heat rushed to his face and startled he turned away, searching for an escape route in the bustling chaos of the library.

"You... you know what. I haven't had lunch. I'm... I'll be back in a few minutes." he blanched internally at the stutter, surprised by his lack of self control as he slammed his books closed and at the last second left them there like a down payment to prove he was coming back.

Startled Hinata turned to look at him, blinking rapidly. "Oh... o-okay..." she began and watched as he disappeared through the book shelves towards the library exit, walking fast.

 _What the hell?_ Roughly he ran a hand through his hair as he stalked towards the cafeteria, aiming not to eat but to punch Naruto in the face for putting thoughts in his head where they did not belong.

 _What the hell is wrong with me?_

* * *

 ** _I like this Sasuke. This Sasuke is hilarious. These two characters are just so damn pliable. Like... it's just a playground of possibilities honestly._**

 ** _This one was fun._**

 ** _:)_**

 ** _Leave me some love, ne?_**

 ** _Inky_**


	6. Chapter 6

_**still in a weird writers block that allows me to write but it never sounds right.**_

 _ **Be brutal with me, I wrote this a million times and this is the closest to what i think it should actually sound like. I'm not as happy with it as I would like to be, but alas. that's what happens sometimes.**_

 _ **Darling Flamer- did you see my song on my other fic? There's a melody but music is one of those things I can't write. Will you write me a song?**_

 _ **My only request is that it has more than three words- and specifically doesn't have the words "kill yourself or virgin." because i think you're up to the challenge. Sometimes i weep that you don't believe in yourself. CHIN UP. You got this. I'm already dancing to your badly written tune. I can groove real well.**_

 _ **Much love,**_

 _ **Inky ;)**_

* * *

How could one man be so incredibly infuriating?

The last two hours had been a mess, between bouts of snappish irritation at anything she said to quietly staring at her, Hinata had been in a place of utter discomfort in the presence of the Uchiha. The first disagreement they had had when she first arrived ended with his abrupt escape and his return a good half an hour later nursing a sore fist and looking a little disheveled. Hinata had stared at him, wide eyed and confused as he settled into his seat without a word of explanation.

Softly, she had dared after a few minutes to ask if he was okay. His reply had been snappy and neither a yes nor a no, more of a "none of your business," without actually going ahead and saying it that way. So she had left it.

And the rest was history.

In her mind there was no room for a Friday night party. There was only space for old romantic comedies, a lot of cinnamon buns and some tea. Maybe ice cream. And pajamas. _Cozy_ pajamas.

"Hinata!" Sakura called as soon as the door opened and the Hyuuga sighed deeply, throwing her bag into the room with a grunt that was becoming habit. "Whoa." Tenten winced. "It doesn't get better with him does it?"

"What did he do?" Sakura blinked at her a little wide eyed herself. "You okay?"

"He... he..." Hinata frowned, trying to remember. "He must hate me. He must. I can't believe someone would be so mean without... he just...argh." she slumped down onto her bed, burying her face in a pillow violently.

Sakura and Tenten glanced at each other, eyebrows raised. "Want us to talk to him, Hina?" Sakura saked softly finally, putting a hand on her shoulder very gently. "I don't know if it will help but-"

"Oh it'll help." Tenten growled, slamming her fist into her palm with a solid thunk, eyes narrowed. It looked interesting as Hinata gazed at her. She was in a pretty black dress with a cloister design of white flowers at her hip and shoulder. Her hair was down in a cascade of brown and gold to her shoulder blades but for the parts that Ino had twisted and pinned into place to frame her big brown eyes. When she hit her fist into her palm again her dangling silver earrings sparkled.

Hinata grinned, a little uplifted by the contrasting image. "No. No, it's okay. I just have to deal with him for a few more sessions and then it'll be over." She sighed. "And if Neji hears about it then he will get mad at him and then..."

"And then bloody things happen." Tenten concluded nodding, remembering the last time someone had hit on Hinata a little too aggressively while they wandered back to Neji's vehicle after a movie. The man had grabbed onto Hinata's wrist to try to talk to her and afterwards Hinata had been adamant she thought he was just drunk, not violent but that had not stopped Neji from flooring the man with a punch to the face and dragging the two girls out of there so fast they were definitely speeding.

"I don't think that's a good idea. Even though Sasuke is a bit of a pain sometimes Naruto would have his back and I don't think Naruto and Neji should get testy with each other." Sakura muttered, frowning.

"So I'll just deal with it." Hinata sighed tiredly but with determination. "I can do that. It's fine. I'm sorry I'm whining."

"Wow." Sakura interrupted, glancing at her phone. "Naruto says Sasuke punched him in the face- what? Why are boys so stupid?"

Hinata blinked mildly at her, staring. "But... when? I just left the library and he was with me the whole time."

"While he was in the cafeteria a while ago." Sakura wrinkled her nose. "That guy!"

"You're really over him, huh?" Tenten looked a little impressed as Sakura fumed over her boyfriend being hit in the face. "I thought maybe... Naruto was just a rebound."

"Ouch." Sakura snapped, glancing at Tenten first and then a little warily at Hinata who was watching the conversation with a calm placid little face, if a little tired. "No... I... I like Naruto. I think... maybe I always have." Sakura's green eyes skittered about the room before she smiled a bit. "Sasuke can be a little... overwhelming sometimes. That's all."

"Huh." Tenten repeated, arms crossed as she studied her. "Well. Good, I suppose."

"Yes." Hinata added, knowing that if she didn't say something Sakura was going to eye her warily for the rest of the night. "Good."

The pink haired girl grinned at her, letting out a deep breath like she had been holding it all day. "Wow, it's so nice to hear you say that, Hinata. I'm just... I was so worried."

"Oh, Hinata wouldn't have cared." Tenten rolled her eyes and stood, grabbing a towel off the shelf by the window. "Right, Hina-chan?"

"R-right." Hinata nodded, attempting to agree with what felt almost like a lie although it wasn't anymore. Startled she caught the towel that Tenten threw at her, surprised.

"Go have a shower. Ino is coming back here in about an hour and then we're getting you ready for this party." Sakura explained, giving her another smile that made Hinata think of the sly grin of the Chesire Cat.

"Um... okay." She sighed, dragging herself off the bed after taking another look at Tenten all dolled up and ready to go. She couldn't say no now. She wouldn't have the heart to do it. Tiredly she went to the door, glancing back in time to see Tenten ripping through their closet, tossing Hinata's clothes onto the bed.

"No... no... maybe... with a cute pair of jeans?" Sakura was saying, throwing things into piles. "No... no..."

Closing her eyes the brunette walked out, hoping that the night would end up better than the morning.

* * *

"You are such a dick. I don't even know how to describe you besides that. You're a mentally unstable self centered dick. That's all you are." Naruto was ranting while examining the bruise on his cheek from the solid connection Sasuke's fist had made with his face.

Most friendships would have ended in that moment, but theirs was a relationship of two part love one part violence and it worked for them.

It didn't mean it wasn't irritating as hell but it worked.

"You and your stupid mouth." Sasuke growled back finding a clean pair of jeans from baskets beneath his bed. "I was fine."

"You already liked her, don't be an idiot." Naruto drawled, wincing at the slightly swollen cheek bone. "I can't believe you just walked up to me and punched. Who the hell does that?"

"I did _not- do not_ like her. I have drawn plenty of women before, it has not meant I've liked them. Otherwise my sketchbook would be a whose who of my romantic life." Sasuke was ranting now too, a little flustered because the rest of the meeting with Hinata had not really gone uphill after the confrontation he had had with Naruto in the cafeteria.

He had flip flopped like a fish out of water between being irritated at her and her plump very tempting mouth and being irritated at himself as well for being a jerk, not just at her but at his best friend who he had indeed walked up to and punched in the face.

Naruto was right. Who the hell does that?

"You're lucky I fucking love you in this _sick twisted unhealthy_ way because anyone else I would have sent to the hospital." Naruto muttered, standing up and ripping his shirt off to look yet again for something clean.

Sasuke scoffed but internally he sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I can't go to this thing, you idiot. I really can't."

"Uh. I think you owe me. Before it was you doing me a favor. Now it's payback." The blonde glanced at him mercilessly over his shoulder. "Don't even start."

With a deep breath Sasuke sat down, glancing at the pitch black sky of winter knowing despite the chill girls would be wandering around in high heels and short skirts, their pale legs covered in goosebumps from the cold, their thin hands freezing when they touched him.

He hated that his personal space was void the moment he entered one of these damn parties. Where Naruto's personal space bubble seemed to only surround very particular parts of his body Sasuke was not the same. Arms length was a comfortable proximity and even better if further out.

"Stick close to me and I'll keep an eye on you." Naruto offered finally, sounding overly maternal before he flashed him a grin. "So the crazy girls don't take advantage."

"You say that like it's a joke." Sasuke grumbled, recalling one too many times when hands he did not know had wandered to places he rather felt required permission before being fondled.

"I know it's not." The blonde finally turned to look at him, blue eyes sincere. "I'll be watching, I'll intervene. I swear."

"I'm fine." Sasuke muttered, and he was. He had dealt with those situations with more force perhaps than most other people would have but then drunk girls did tend to need a little more ferocity to get information through into their heads.

"Just try not to punch anyone out of the blue." Naruto's grin was sardonic. "Please."

"Yeah, yeah." Sasuke muttered, heading out the door to shower. "Fine."

* * *

 _ **I think you might be right, about the too nice thing.**_

Hinata frowned at the cell phone as she typed the message, ignoring the banging on the bathroom door from Sakura and Ino who were pestering her to hurry so they could do her hair for a party she didn't want to go to.

 **Oh?**

 _ **How do you not be too nice?**_

 **I think it's a little instinctive for me.**

 _ **I was hoping you could teach me.**_

"Hinata open the door, if you're done showering let me blow dry your hair! It's six already! Come on!" Sakura's fist made the bathroom door rattle on it's hinges and through the steam of her shower Hinata blinked at the door, mouth down turned sadly. She had a headache, it's pulsing throb a menace with no intentions to go soon, provided by the confusing glares and stares of Sasuke Uchiha through their entire work meeting.

She had done something wrong, obviously. Whatever it was, he had decided she was worthy or torture and now she was starting to wonder if her creative writing class grade was worth it.

 **Is someone bothering you?**

The door rattled again and tiredly the Hyuuga blinked at it, pressing a hand to her face. Her wet hair tangled down around her in inky black clumps and her usually pale face was a tinge on the paler side. For a moment she wondered if she was getting sick again but dismissed the notion. No, she wasn't sick. She was exhausted. She had been up early for that stupid run resulting in the tree. And all week long she'd been dealing with thing after thing.

Namely Sasuke after Sasuke.

 _ **I think so.**_

 **You're not sure?**

She stared at the cell phone, at the simple question and how it highlighted again her inability to just. say. no.

 _ **Maybe you can still teach me to not be nice. Even though it's natural for you. Although, I think you're lying.**_

 **I'm not, my room mate would validate my story. But, first things first. Like I said before. Sometimes people just need a smack.**

Smiling just a little she sighed. "I'm coming, Sakura. I'm coming, one second."

"Finally! What are you doing in there?"

"Just... breathing." Hinata whispered to herself.

 _ **I may need a lesson that's easier than the smacking one. I'm not great with smacking people.**_

 **You may be surprised. If someone really gets under your skin one day it'll come naturally. Trust me.**

 _ **I hope not!**_

 **You are too sweet.**

Hinata stilled with her hand on the door knob, blinking at the screen, her cheeks reddening rapidly and with a hell fire bent to melt her face. Swallowing she lowered the device, blinking hard in the quiet of the bathroom as goose bumps rose along her shoulders and arms.

"I'm gonna tear down the door!" Sakura's frustrated voice on the other side made her jump and tucking her cell phone into her make up bag she finally peered at her.

"Okay..." she blinked mildly at the pink haired girl who had her hands on her hips, a steely look in her eye. Breathing in deep and trying to channel her anonymous friend she added. "But no mascara and no weird up dos and no skimpy clothes."

"Hinata!" Ino threw her hands up in the air. "You're cutting me off at the knees here."

"No, no. We can still work with that." Sakura lifted a hand as though to calm the blonde down. "Fine. Your first party your rules. Let's do this thing."

Biting her lip Hinata let them in and wincing began to succumb to their ministrations.

* * *

"No."

Sasuke's tone was a nice heady mix of bored and bite me. Sasori stared at him, swinging the glow in the dark necklace slowly in circles from his index finger, a smile gracing his lips where it didn't reach his eyes.

"Oh, Uchiha. You're such a beloved pain in the ass."

"I didn't know it was a Stop Light Party." Naruto frowned at Sasori as well, unimpressed. "I mean, when did that get decided?"

"Recently." Sasori's grin didn't change as it slid from the Uchiha to the the blonde. "What? Too chicken to go in there and flash your green?"

"I'm taking a solid red, actually." Naruto grunted, extending a hand hesitantly. "And if Sakura comes in you give her a red too or I'll find you and use this as a garrote."

"Easy, tiger." Hidan smirked brightly and threw him a red necklace. "You finally caught the Cherry Blossom did you?"

"I wouldn't say anyone can catch Sakura." Naruto began offhandedly, to which Hidan began gagging.

"You though, I know you're single." Sasori extended a green necklace to Sasuke.

The vice president of Psi Akatsuki Delta didn't often get no for an answer to anything, and sitting at a table in the Frat House building he had not been expecting someone to get into it with him. But he had also not been expecting there to be an Uchiha in attendance. They had a way of complicating things. Especially the younger of the two. Itachi Uchiha had been an Akatsuki member and therefore followed the rules, but when the younger brother was offered a place in their society he had turned his nose at it and walked away, insulting hundreds of years of members.

Sasori didn't forget things like that.

Sasuke didn't give a damn. "I'm not wearing a necklace." He shrugged, hands in his pockets.

"Dude, he's only staying for about half an hour." Naruto added lightly, giving Hidan a look. Hidan was on the football team and although fraternity certainly trumped their team bonding he still swayed a bit.

"He's not going to be part of it anyway, Sasori." Hidan finally flashed a predatory grin. "I've seen him with the girls. He's not straight."

Raising dark eyes Sasuke fixed the grinning man with a slow burn of a stare. "My standards are too high for your usual evening meal, Hidan. Don't confuse taste for lack of appetite."

"Ooh." Sasori shrugged, growing bored. "Fine. More for us." He smirked at Sasuke then. "You Uchihas were always so very uptight about playful drunk frolicking."

Jaw cracking from how hard he was tightening it Sasuke followed Naruto around the table and towards the double doors beneath the curving staircases in the Frat House foyer where the pulsing throb of music being played entirely too loud thundered.

"I know... I know..." Naruto raised his hands and batted the air in a calm down motion at the simmering Uchiha beside him as they pulled the doors open and stepped into the black out chaos of the party. Strobe lights sparked and above the dimly lit sea of rolling bottles the chandelier rattled with the indefatigable energy of the pulsing beat the DJ at the back of the room was pushing.

"How the hell do you expect to find her in here?" Sasuke shouted almost into Naruto's ear and the blonde winced as the doors closed behind them, enclosing them in the cavernous main hall of the house. The ground shook with the bizarre mesh of limbs pulsing to the same tempo together, the flashes of green yellow and red from the glow in the dark necklaces moving with the glare of teeth or the edges of white shirts.

"She's not here yet." Naruto shook his phone at him as he shouted. "Let's get to the kitchen and grab a beer though, come on."

And together they began to weave through the edges of the pulsing mob, heading towards the normal lights beckoning from the other side of the room.

* * *

It just was not what she had been expecting.

"...You... you didn't tell me the party was at Psi Akatsuki Delta!" It wasn't like Hinata to yell, actually she rarely did it but even standing outside in the chaos of an impromptu parking lot on the long winding driveway leading up to the pulsing mansion that was the fraternity house you could feel the bass. There were many reasons why she felt like yelling, panic being one of them.

"They got a DJ today." Sakura replied, ignoring Hinata's growing worry frown and Tenten's slight trepidation.

There was what looked like the pulsing of strobe lights inside and even from afar with the thumping of dance songs playing too loud the sound of voices could be heard laughing without restraint, screaming at each other in the wild abandon of sheer debauchery.

"I... I don't know..." Hinata began, tugging on Tenten's jacket sleeve lightly. "Tenten... you know how Neji feels about Akatsuki, he's had so many arguments with Hidan-"

"Yeah... I know..." Tenten began slowly, letting her shoulders droop a little as she examined the chaos that they were contemplating walking into.

"We won't stay long, why don't we just find Naruto and see if maybe we can all go get something to eat somewhere quieter?" Sakura asked gently, realizing quickly how uncomfortable Hinata really looked.

They had worked hard on her all afternoon, curling her hair into an impressive mane of black curls falling lazy and delicious around her face and shoulders and after some arguing had managed to get her into a lace dress that had just enough risque factor to satisfy even Ino. The long sleeves and high neck were present to soothe Hinata but being made of lace they were largely see through. With her tiny waist accented by a cinched ribbon and the bell curve of her skirt she looked both tempting and still Hinata. An achievement Tenten had not thought they would manage.

In the end the black high heeled ankle boots they managed to get her to wear got the outfit to go from angelic to slightly daring and off they had gone.

But now, Tenten was starting to think maybe they should have come in parkas. And not to keep the chill out.

"I don't think this one will last long in there." Tenten admitted, glancing at Hinata who looked like she was about to be fed to wolves. She had never been to a party, let alone a frat party and most importantly not at Akatsuki House. There were too many stories about the things that sometimes happened at their gatherings and not a lot of them were on the sunny side.

"Let's find Naruto. I think Ino and Sai won't want to come with us if we do go somewhere else, but let's just make an appearance, see how we feel and if Hinata is combusting in there we can head out." Sakura conceded to Tenten. Frowning a little Hinata watched as her friends discussed her as though she weren't there.

"I'll...I'm fine." She muttered, surprised to be annoyed. But the headache that Sasuke Uchiha had managed to create with his strange behavior at the library earlier was only being aggravated by the pounding of the music and the freezing cold of being outside.

"Okay, that's the spirit." Sakura smiled at her, missing the dark look Hinata allowed herself as they turned to the party. "Let's go."

Walking towards the pillars that lined the double doors of the frat house Sakura raised her hand to knock and started as the ancient wood was pulled back and the pulsing of the music reverberated through the pristine well lit foyer. On either side of the tiled entry curving staircases pushed upwards to the second and third floors of the building and beneath the balcony where they joined another set of double doors strained against the sound of the DJ and the heat of many bodies moving together.

Before the table sat a handsome redhead, his eyes lighting up at the sight of the three girls. Behind him, leaning against the frame of the door leading to the party was a taller young man, his smile a little high on the predatory scale.

"Ladies. Oh, it's the Cherry Blossom." Sasori called, his teeth flashed white and pristine and Hinata felt herself falling behind Tenten and Sakura, hugging her coat to her body tightly, feeling ridiculous in her curled hair and heels.

"Sasori." Sakura's tone had the impatience of a mother and with a hand on her hip she cocked her head. "What scheme are you up to now?"

"No scheme, just good clean fun, as always. What better way to absorb material for my work?"

"Your art?" She scoffed a little and removed her jacket. Tenten behind her followed suit. Hinata blinked rapidly at them, her fingers tight on her black coat, fingers uncertain on the buttons.

"Ladies." Hidan smirked, taking their coats from them, his eyes traveled to Hinata and his grin returned, something wolfish about the expression made her fingers tighten on her clothing, gray eyes wide in her face.

"Oh... please tell me you're a green." He almost groaned.

"Hidan, behave." Sasori's voice cut in and Sakura fixed Hidan with a look. "Stay clear, you hear?"

"You always bring some amazing treats." Hidan sighed, ignoring her order, eyes raking over Tenten from head to foot. For the first time in a while she blinked rapidly and looked away, her cheeks brightening.

"...you do seem to have an amazing sort of luck with your friends, I will admit." Sasori murmured conversationally as his eyes found Hinata finally, gray gaze unblinking in his stare. Without breaking eye contact with the startled girl he lifted the glow in the dark necklaces. "Red, for the Cherry Blossom. You darling?" He finally turned to Tenten, smiling again. "Green, to keep my heart from breaking?"

Swallowing Tenten glanced at Sakura who shrugged. "Sorry hun, I didn't know it was a Stop Light party today"

Looking uncertain Tenten finally bit her lip at Sasori's pleading look. "Okay, yeah... green."

"Excellent." Sasori placed the necklace in her hand and then his eyes lighted on Hinata who still had yet to remove her coat. "And...? I hope you're not planning on disappointing everyone with a red tonight." His penetrating stare made Hinata shift uncomfortably. "...I... I don't know, Sakura... I..."

"No, no. The decision has to be yours." Sasori raised a hand to stop Sakura from talking. "Otherwise consent issues, you see." He smiled. "We're gentlemen at Akatsuki House."

Despite Sakura's little scoff his words were said with such force that it was hard to imagine he could be anything but a gentleman.

"...I'm..." Hinata began uncertainly and then sighing nodded. "...g-green then."

Behind Sasori Hidan let out a breath and a smile that Sakura was sure birds saw on cat faces before they were devoured.

Sasori very seriously extended his hand out to her and carefully removing her coat Hinata reached to take it, startled when instead he gripped her wrist and pulled her to the table where he was sitting gently.

"What's your name, hm?" His eyes were fixated on her face and burning red she stuttered out softly. "H-Hinata Hyuuga."

"OH!" Hidan suddenly sounded very interested. "A Hyuuga."

"The cousin?" Sasori didn't rip his gaze from Hinata's but he was obviously talking to Hidan who nodded behind him and somehow Sasori seemed to receive the information. Smiling still he let go, leaving the necklace in her hand.

"Go, enjoy, be merry." He winked at Tenten. "Misbehave yourselves."

"You're awful." Sakura grumbled mildly as they walked through and Hidan pulled the door open leaning against it as Hinata walked by behind Tenten.

"You save me a dance, sweet pea." He smirked and letting out a squeak that was neither affirmative or rejection Hinata scampered into the abyss of the party.

Closing the door behind them Hidan turned his gaze to Sasori who looked thoughtful. "You should find someone to mind the table." He murmured after a moment.

"Thank God." Hidan's grin overtook his face. "I would have been interested even if she weren't a Hyuuga."

"I can understand that." Sasori murmured, eyes glazed. "Certainly, I can understand that." He continued to himself as Hidan delved into the party to find someone else from the brotherhood to do the welcoming act.

* * *

The library was one of the few places in the chaos that the music didn't make your thoughts rattle like loose rocks inside a glass bottle and so that's where Sasuke and Naruto ended up. It always amazed Sasuke that Naruto was so popular. It was easy to forget when they were usually on their own, and their classes were so different. Usually Sasuke saw him in the comfortable familiarity of their group of friends, Choji, Kiba, Shino and Shikamaru, sometimes Sai and occasionally the strange but now familiar Gaara who had graduated the same year they entered Konoha U.

But out at parties it was a whole different thing.

Naruto's entrance into the library resulted in several guys shouting at the top of their lungs, raising beer bottles at him from their places around the room. "Uzumaki!"

"Yo!" Naruto's grin and reply enveloped the room in a blaze of sunny disposition and waltzing into the fray his posture changed, shoulders back, blue eyes sharp he shoved one of his football team buddies out of the way and jokingly they jostled like puppies in a kennel while Sasuke rolled his eyes and took a heady drag of the beer Naruto had so absently handed him as they passed through the kitchen.

His entry rarely had that kind of reaction, the more subtle ripple effect of the aloof Uchiha always took a few minutes to take hold but even as he meandered to one of the ignored bookshelves that lined all four walls of the frat house library he could see them out of his peripheral vision. Girls who were splayed in alluring sensuous curves of the couches that littered the space murmured softly to each other, eyes flickering to him and back to each other again, their smiles tentative.

As another guy came in with a tray held high over his head Sasuke sighed, recognizing the tiny green cups. "Jello shots!" He bellowed, passing them out as he went.

Wincing the Uchiha picked out a book absently, studying the cover with a frown. _Where the hell is Sakura?_

"...hey..."

 _Shit._

A small voice by his elbow hovered and with as little care as possible he glanced at it. It wasn't that he wanted to treat people like garbage, but he had his reasons. The first party he had bothered to go to with Naruto had ended in some girl he didn't know who had obviously had too many jello shots climbing onto his lap and ripping off her shirt.

Usually this would have been enough for Sasuke to end up in a fight if not with the girl than with the girl's friends as he promptly threw her off and scampered out of there. He wasn't a prude, a girl on his lap did things to him like everyone else but somehow it always seemed to gross him out a little bit too. Their make up was always melting, their skin was always sticky and sweaty and the tangle of their hair often smelled like vomit.

In this instance he had barely had enough time to choke out a firm "Get off!" When the boyfriend appeared and after ripping his girl off Sasuke's lap one thing led to another and at the end of the night Naruto and Sasuke had had to bruise a few faces.

They themselves had left sporting a couple black eyes too, but neither of them were very heavy drinkers so they had had the upper hand.

So, at parties Sasuke kept his head down, his words testy and his glare on point, usually focused on keeping girlfriends as far from his reach as possible despite their attempts to shrink the distance.

"Hm?" He finally sighed when the silence didn't seem to subdue any attempt at conversation. Glancing over he blinked at the small face and pale blue eyes that shyly studied him. "Are... you're Sasuke Uchiha right? We have Art History together with Professor Kurenai?"

Allowing his eyes to linger for a second longer he turned back to the book. "I'm in that class." He conceded.

"I... I'm Brandi. I... usually sit a few rows to the right of where you do." She shifted on her feet lightly. "Um... you're... not wearing a necklace, what's up with that?" She cocked her head then and Sasuke glanced at the bright green blazing against the pale skin of her neck.

"I dropped my red somewhere in the mess." he nodded towards the sound of the Dj lightly and she blinked, looking subdued, finally.

"Oh! I... right." she smiled and he was mildly impressed with how genuine it actually looked. "Is... your girlfriend in class?"

"No." He began, loathing where the conversation was going and stopping abruptly there, his eyes freezing as three figures stepped into the library.

The sound of the football team hollering something teasing to Naruto as his face flushed scarlet and he scooped up Sakura in his arms thundered in the smaller space. But Sasuke wasn't paying attention to that, although he was glad to see Sakura's smile at the sight of the blonde.

Sasuke's eyes however were stuck on the quiet uncomfortable looking figure behind the girl whose name he thought might be Tenten.

Her dress contrasted so badly with the tight leather skirts and bare tummies of most of the other female population. From collar to wrist and head to toe she stood clad in delicate lace and black tights, the curve of her calf smooth from her heels to her bell white dress. Hair a mane of black indigo curls she blinked in the bright lights of the library by contrast to the dark neon kaleidoscope of the dance floor.

"Excuse me." He murmured, shoving the book back into the shelf and moving towards her two steps only to stop abruptly, catching Tenten's glare like a spear to the shoulder.

"You!" Sakura cried, still holding on to Naruto she marched over and shoved a finger into Sasuke's shirt. "What's with you lately?"

"What?" He frowned at her mildly, fixing his dark eyes on the familiar green glare and pink hair, determined not to look over at the quiet pale face hovering just outside of their circle. "What's with you giving Hinata a hard time?" Sakura gave his shoulder a little shove and he let it pass, rolling his eyes as he fixed Naruto with a look that said "Ya see?"

Grinning for a variety of different reasons Naruto shrugged back.

"I was unaware I was-" He began in his own defense, stopping at the sound of Hinata fluttering mildly behind them. "Oh... stop please... It's fine." Face pink she shifted on her heels uncomfortably, hands tugging on the hem of her dress as though wishing she could make it longer.

"How could you possibly not be nice to Hinata though?" Sakura smacked his arm lightly. "It's like kicking a puppy."

"Please don't." Hinata's tone was a little less flustered a little more annoyed. Smirking Sasuke shrugged. "She's fine."

"Well stop it." Tenten snapped a little more seriously. Giving the brunette a look that seemed a little more tired than threatened Sasuke shrugged his shoulders again. "Will do."

"I don't get it either." Naruto began with a lot of exaggeration. "How _can_ you not like Hinata? I mean, look at her." He gestured to the frazzled looking girl. "She's adorable."

For a moment Sasuke's gaze flickered to her and dark onyx met pearl gray. She looked delicate and sweet, and he knew if he were to breathe in at the base of her neck she would smell clean, probably soft like towels right after hanging in the sun to dry on summer days. Even from a distance he could see the soft smoothness of her lips which had been demanding attention in his mind for several days, debunking the theory that things were only interesting to him for a few minutes at a time before their beauty faded.

He drew in a breath, catching the widening of Sakura's green eyes in time to panic.

"I have high standards." He snapped, fixing the blonde with a look that was met with disappointment and disgust. "Sasuke." Naruto said softly.

Wincing internally Sasuke let his eyes slide only for a second to Hinata whose face had gone from embarrassed and pink to deathly white, jaw tight.

"You je-" Tenten began and stopped, feeling Hinata suddenly move away, walking smoothly and quickly through the loitering crowds towards an exit at the back of the library. "Ah! Hinata, wait!" her friend cried and shooting him a look dashed away after her.

Left alone Sakura and Naruto stared at Sasuke. Naruto's blue eyes were narrowed with disappointment where Sakura was wide eyed.

"Sasuke... I mean... I might be off but I doubt it. Are you... are you into Hinata?" she whispered, leaning in a little.

"See!" Naruto shouted, raising his hands up in the air in victory. "I _told_ you!"

Blinking rapidly he stared at them, feeling his mouth part a little before snapping it closed. "No! Will you two stop it please?"

But the look Sakura gave him made him feel even more ill than he already was, and unable to keep himself in control his eyes drifted to where the pearl he had accidentally found had vanished.

"Well go." Sakura snapped, giving him a shove. "Go find her and bring her back please, before some drunk tries to get fresh with her, _please_."

With Naruto at his heels Sasuke made as if to hesitate but in reality his limbs were vibrating and with some restraint he kept himself from running after her.

 _...I'm so screwed. How did I get this incredibly screwed?_

* * *

She had left her phone and keys in her coat pockets. Biting her lip hard enough to make the already forming tears in her eyes slide down her cheeks she walked, head down through the throngs of people, not really looking where she was headed, just determined to head elsewhere.

Around her people shouted and kissed, the smells of liquor and the sounds of debauchery echoed and she kept moving. All the edges everywhere seemed hard, and where there were places to sit girls were splayed on laps and on each other, blowing smoke rings into the ceilings or dancing together on coffee tables slowly making her wince.

Absently she threw the green necklace she had balled in her fist on the floor, glad she had not put it on despite the insistence of the boys at the entrance.

What had she done really? She had not wanted to work with the stubborn irritable Uchiha, she would have much rather not. Did he think she was crushing on him or something? Frustrated she ran a hand through her curls, loosening the tight spirals to softened waves as she walked, feeling silly and overdressed in her own skin.

Her hands were shaking and she realized this was the same adrenaline response she got when something scary happened, but where usually she wouldn't be able to feel her fingertips her hands felt on fire with feeling, each nerve on her palms hot.

What had her friend said?

 _ **I may need a lesson that's easier than the smacking one. I'm not great with smacking people.**_

 **You may be surprised. If someone really gets under your skin one day it'll come naturally. Trust me.**

Sniffing lightly she rubbed her face, trying to dispel the tears lingering on her cheeks. As she walked she finally glanced up and back where the last of the chaos seemed to be. The hall she was in looked mostly deserted but for the handful of beer cups that were littering the floor and the backs of people down a few door ways facing into what had looked like a games room where a few pool competitions were being played loudly.

Hugging herself for a second she leaned against the wall of the hall and buried her face in her hands to breathe.

The truth was, she was more angry than sad and the tears squeezing out of her eyes were making her even more angry. She should have stayed and said something. She should have glared him down the way Neji would have or her sister.

But instead she had run away. Shivering she sighed and started at the sound of a door opening across the hall from her, blinking at first and then tensing as a familiar face stepped out and then froze, a smile sliding over his lips.

"Well... hello sweet pea." Hidan began slowly.

Hinata's mouth had gone dry, dragging in a slow breath she straightened and pushed from the wall, taking a handful of steps backwards. "H...hello. I... I was just taking a breather." she whispered.

"Mhm. It can be mighty overwhelming the first time you're at a real party." He advanced as slowly as she moved back and warily Hinata glanced backwards at all the turned heads not watching down the hall in the games room.

"I should... I should go back..." she whispered, wishing her voice didn't sound so tiny.

"Oh, hold on." And suddenly he moved forward with a snap that made her gasp, his grip on her arm tight, his grin vicious. "I didn't catch your name at the entrance, I know you're Hyuuga, but what was the first part?"

"I... I should go-" Hinata tried again, pulling lightly on her arm and panicking at the iron grip of his fingers.

"Calm down." He cocked his head at her, eyes tracing her wide eyes. "I'm not gonna bite. Unless... you want me to that is."

"Hidan."

Wide eyed Hinata looked back in time to see first Sasuke whose voice pierced the punctuated quiet of the hall, dark eyes focused on the man who held her arm. And then behind him Naruto, looking back and forth between her and his team mate, letting his blue eyes linger on the grip he had on her forearm.

"Uchiha. Walk along. Get lost." Hidan waved a hand at him impatiently while Hinata tried again to pull her arm from his grip.

"Hidan." This time Naruto said his name slowly, carefully with weight. "What the fuck?"

"Ugh. You're both so incredibly boring." And with a little shove he released Hinata, sending her stumbling a few steps before she regained her balance against one of the walls, hands trembling visibly.

"I was literally just saying hello. Calm down."

Breathing rapidly Hinata backed up some more, startled when she felt Sasuke's hand on her back and then her elbow, tight like Hidan's had been his black eyes still unmoving from his face.

"Say bye then." He muttered darkly, pulling Hinata around and along down the hall.

"Ciao, sweet pea." Hidan complied with a grin. "From one leash to another I see."

"Sasuke." Naruto murmured behind him as they approached the games room and pushed through it back towards the library. Beside him Hinata stumbled, trying without success to pull her arm out of his grip, a frown marking her face painfully.

"Sasuke, stop." Naruto called behind him as they passed into the kitchen where guys were throwing beers out at people sitting across the island counter who were obviously in some sort of contest, chugging back the liquor with abandon that would result in a hospital stay.

With a grunt Hinata finally wrenched her arm out of Sasuke's grasp, and they faced off, his expression tight with anxiety. "What is wrong with you! Do not run off like that! Do you have any idea who Hidan is? What he does?"

"What?" She stared at him, incredulous. "I-"

"You're walking around waving a white flag of surrender." He snapped and gave her skirt a sharp tug that made her jump back a step, her chest rising and falling in rapid gasps.

Naruto watched, blinking his wide eyes hard as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Behind him Sakura and Tenten suddenly appeared. "Oh thank God you found-" Tenten began and froze when she caught sight of Hinata's deathly pale face.

"A white what?" Hinata's voice was high pitched and a little hysterical. "What do you think you're doing? You can't just... tell me what to do, I'm not -"

"You shouldn't be here." His voice was too shaky and scrambling to correct it he dragged in a breath. "You're entirely too naive, go home."

"Don't talk to me." Hinata snapped finally, feeling the tingle in her palms that felt like electricity shooting between her fingers, trembling visibly she turned and got one step away before his hand grabbed at her elbow.

It was the wrong time.

It was the wrong place.

 **Sometimes people just need a smack.**

The crack of her palm to his cheek was loud enough that despite the music from the other room and the hollering of the drunk people laughing and shouting the sound made several turn and stunned Hinata stared at him, registering the dazed and thunderstruck look on his face just as she felt heat engulf her from the depths of hell to scorch every atom that made her up.

"...I..." She gasped, breathless. "I'm... I'm sorry!" And she was gone, with Tenten right behind her leaving Sasuke with a hand to his cheek where the sting of her touch had left biting hot fire.

Naruto stood with his fingers over his mouth and Sakura's gaped for a second, remembering at the last second to drag in air, staring at Sasuke with shining green eyes.

"...oh my god..." she whispered, pressing a hand to her forehead. "...you're smitten!"

Feeling dizzy Sasuke turned his dark eyes to her, trying to understand her words and feeling like they were Chinese.

Except that they weren't.

And he knew exactly what she was saying.

* * *

 _ **Well...**_

 _ **Damn.**_

 _ **leave me some love, ne?**_

 _ **Inky.**_


	7. Chapter 7

**_UPDATED CHAPTER_**

 ** _*****Hello- if you are reading this on or after March 04 then I have edited this chapter. I wrote it really fast on a caffeine craze, edited in the same state and then posted it. Once the craze went down I reread it and blanched right out of bed in the middle of the night to redo it. GROSS. Just GROSS. I want to actually rewrite the whole damn thing, but i can't right now. I tried but thinking of it just gave me the heebie jeebies :(****_**

 _ **Dear Flamer,**_

 _ **What the heck man? We had this thing going on. I would say something witty and snippy and you would... well... you tried- but we had this ping pong thing going on and I threw out this challange, pulled off the white glove and slapped you with it and you reply with "Meh."**_

 _ **You, my friend are a human being (at least, I like to think so) therefore you HAVE to have higher standards for yourself. Come on! Puff out your chest, think mean thoughts. Hit me!**_

 _ **What's with you? It's like... it's like you're tired.**_

 _ **Don't you dare quit on me, Flamer. Don't you dare.**_

 _ **Much love,**_

 _ **Inky**_

* * *

Feet stumbling she passed through halls and doors, running again. The second time in as many hours and now feeling less and less like herself.

Faces blurred as she blinked the tears from her eyes and wiped her hand incessantly against the curve of her dress, as though to get the remnant molecules of Sasuke's cheek from her palm.

I just... I just hit someone... I just hit him...

The image of his eyes fixated on her and the shock that lit them like a starry night sky wouldn't divert, with every blink his face became more clear, the soft part of his mouth, the way he reached to touch where her hand had so aggressively slammed.

Heart beat a thundering pound in her ears and chest that fought with the throbbing sound of the music further in the house she dragged in air, pulling with effort for it to oxygenate her frightened body. Gray eyes searching and finally finding a doorway she pushed through the curious faces of partiers puzzled by her tears and stepped out from the heat and madness of the building into the freezing near silence of the winter night outside.

The slap of the cold was instant and wiping her wet cheeks she stood there, feeling as the cold seeped into her lungs, soothing her hot face and neck, taking some of the tingle from her palm.

"Oh no." She whispered, burying her face into her palms. The patio door she had walked through had led to the side of the house and in the scramble to get as far away from Sasuke she wasn't even sure which side of the house it was. The maze within had turned inside out and upside down as she fled. Glancing back for a moment she breathed and lowered herself to the cement steps leading down to a stone path that wrapped further into the darkness and around the building.

"...what did I just do?" her voice cracked unexpectedly and hearing her own confusion she buried her hands in her hair, closing her eyes and flinching as the sight of him flickered through her mind's eye.

"Hinata!"

Behind her Tenten's voice made her stiffen and wincing at being in the presence of anyone who had witnessed what she had just done she buried herself further into her arms, grabbing with some frightened effort at her calm.

"Hinata, I'm so sorry!" Tenten gasped, coming like a warm breeze to settle beside her. The feel of her palms on her shoulders, squeezing gently caused a shudder to traipse down Hinata's spine and worriedly the brown eyes of her friend peered through the black curtain, parting it gently.

"We shouldn't have come. I'm so sorry. I didn't know it would be this way- I didn't know he would be here. What was he doing?" Tenten's voice was panicky, and sniffing slightly Hinata forced herself to look up, gray eyes swimming in her tears. "I... I hit him, Tenten."

Looking at each other in the freezing air Tenten let out a breath of fog and smiled a little weakly. "No doubt you're a Hyuuga now, huh?"

The joke was well timed and after a moment Hinata's chin wobbled and she was laughing and crying. "I've never hit anybody. I'm so sad!" she gasped, wiping at her face. "And relieved." Tenten added knowingly. Unwilling to admit to such a thing Hinata just breathed, watching the fog form in front of her face as she tried to slow her heart rate.

After a moment Tenten sighed, "You'll freeze out here. Let's go find the others and head out."

"...No, I can't... I can't go back in there." Hinata shuddered and not from the cold. This did it. She was never going to another party again. End of story.

"Well... we can't just-" Tenten began and paused, watching as a shadow covered the light that flooded the patio from the open door of the hall.

"Uh oh." A male voice said behind them, and Tenten shrunk a little as she blinked over her shoulder. "What's this? Everything okay?"

Sasori stepped out into the patio with them and walked down a few steps past Hinata's place on the staircase, looking up at her with a worried expression, hands in his pockets. "What's happened? Those aren't tears now, are they?"

Warily Tenten eyed him, glancing at Hinata who was blinking rapidly, wiping at the liquid on her lashes. "Oh... no, I'm fine. I'm okay." she stuttered, trying to keep the shame from swallowing her whole. Beside her Tenten squeezed her hard again at the shoulders, lingering plastered to her side.

"You must be so cold." Sasori cocked his head and the shine of his red hair in the moonlight only accented the depth in his gray gaze. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"We... just had a little disagreement with someone, that's all." Tenten laughed a little nervously. "We were just going to head home."

"Oh that's a shame." Sasori breathed with regret. "Do you remember where you came in? That's where all your coats are, if you want to go get them. There will be akatsuki there to help you find them, it can be a little difficult." He smiled at Tenten who hesitated for a moment. "Right, okay... come on Hinata." she motioned, moving to stand.

"Ooh, don't make her go back in there. I'll wait with her here if you want, while you get the coats? I could give you both a ride home too, if you'd like." He straightened, fixing Tenten with an unshakable stare before smiling gently. "She looks about done for the night."

"Um..." Tenten began. On the staircase Hinata looked at Sasori with a slight frown, her mind sluggish with the headache and the tears scrambled to catch up. "No... I'm-"

"Hey, Deidara!" He shouted suddenly and a blonde who had just been walking by poked his head out the patio door, eyeing the situation quickly before turning his eyes to his vice president. "Hm?"

"Could you show Tenten here where she can find the coats? They're hoping to leave soon, but I don't want to leave Hinata on the steps alone." He shrugged. "Do you mind?"

"Nope." The blonde glanced at Tenten, eyes lingering on her face before travelling over her quickly and smiling. "Let's go."

"...uh..no, I-" Tenten began hesitantly before feeling his hand grab hers and pull her in. "The faster we get going the sooner we're back." Deidara chimed and closed the patio door.

The door closing suddenly had Hinata's back straightening, watching through the glass as Tenten was pulled into the shifting bodies of the party further in the hall, glancing back at her with a helpless expression in her brown eyes.

"I don't think that I need to-" Hinata began to say, her heart a fluttering bird caged in her ribs. She moved to stand and jumped when Sasori extended his hand. Warily she took it and he helped her to her feet. "Want to see something?" He cocked his head, interrupting her in his soft voice. "Come on."

"But-" Hinata began slowly. "Tenten-"

"We'll be back before she is. Promise." He was tugging on her lightly, gently waiting. "Come on."

In the dark it was hard to see his face, to read his thoughts on his features although she had a feeling even in the blasting sun of summer he wouldn't be easy to understand. However his grip was different than Hidan's and feeling tired and worn out she sighed. Another fight, another argument was beyond her, already the idea of being rude was making her skin crawl. "Okay..."

"Excellent. Come." He led her down the side of the house, skipping over a discarded hose that likely had not been used for several months and lawn chairs that sat askew against the wall. "W-where are we going?" Hinata managed after a moment, feeling less and less sure about her decision the further they drifted from the sound of voices and the light of the patio door.

"To the observatory." He replied candidly, glancing over his shoulder. "The astronomy class uses it often and today happens to be a cloudless night. I can't have you leave Akastuki House with nothing but tears. That's not how we do things."

"It... Hidan actually..." Hinata frowned, glancing back at the disappearing light of the patio door. "He was rather..."

"Aw, Hidan. He's the one that got you all upset?" Sasori paused his walk, cocking his head at her, peering through the night to see her face. Cautious to keep her expression as calm as possible Hinata blinked, unnerved by his stare. "Um... sort of."

"Well, next time give him a knee where it hurts. Or let me know, whichever is easiest at the time. He's like a dog, firm commands tend to do the trick." His tone was smirking and Hinata winced. "I...don't know..."

"Here we are." He sighed and Hinata blinked. They were at the back of the house, and there was a pool covered over for the winter, although steam still rose from the depths and she wondered if Akatsuki still used it. Beyond that the tennis court and expanse of green dotted with bushes and lawn furniture in a state of mild abandonment glowed by the low lights lining the paved paths through the green space.

At the corner was a tower, brick work with a metal staircase wrapping around the outside, high even above the house roof.

"The observatory." He waved. "There's a telescope up there. Come on."

"What about Tenten-?" Hinata began although curiosity was getting the better of her. It was kind of nice not having the pounding sound of the music and the pulsing of her headache dancing hand in hand on her nerves. And Sasori's voice had a soothing quality she had to admit was easily listened to.

If Sasuke spoke more she would almost say their depth and resonance was similar. But the thought of him was anything but soothing and she shoved him out of her head, focusing on Sasori's hand wrapped around her wrist lightly, tugging her up the stairs.

"Deidara's with her. He wouldn't just abandon her out there, I'm sure. Not a pretty girl like her."

Biting her lip Hinata looked back once more, catching the party in full throttle through the sliding glass door of what she thought was the kitchen although it was hard to tell. From inside someone she didn't know waved and hesitantly she waved back, following Sasori up the staircase to see what stars he had in mind to show her.

* * *

"There's fucked up... and then there's _I better move and change my name because no one will ever forget this_ fucked up. Guess which one you just managed to pull of with the usual Uchiha flair you have for everything." Naruto inquired lightly, giving his shoulder a shove that was more affectionate than a hug would have been.

Sasuke stared at him, as he had been staring at nearly everything since Hinata and Tenten disappeared. Idly he rubbed at his cheek with the back of his hand. It didn't hurt anymore, although the ghost of an ache still lingered. Licking his lips he finally raised his gaze to Sakura who had been standing watching the two boys with her arms crossed, brow furrowed as if waiting for him to snap out of it.

"...she hit me." He finally stated. He wasn't even sure why he said it. Maybe to make sure that he had not just imagined it. Naruto cocked his head at him. "Harder than it appeared too, you're loopy."

"He's besotted." Sakura rolled her eyes. "Look at him, he's practically got stars in his eyes. "

This seemed to do the trick of snapping him out of his reverie, a scowl quickly taking over his slightly slack jawed disbelief. "Stop that." He snapped, frowning. "I barely know her." And honestly, he wasn't... _besotted..._ so much as stunned, like walking out from between trees expecting more trees and finding the grand view of a cliff side and valley, sparkling in the light of a new dawn. He wasn't stupid, he knew what attraction was, and perhaps part of the reason that Hidan's grip on her arm had irritated him so much has been that. But there was also that puzzling mess that was Hinata Hyuuga, she had brains, he'd seen her use them, and she had fire he'd been burned by it. What had she been thinking letting that brute manhandle her?

"Well, I don't know this Hinata either. I've never known a her to hit someone." Sakura retorted, and then slowly grinned. "Are you just going to stand there or are you going to go find her and apologize."

"Usually when on the receiving end of a blow the apology goes the other way." Sasuke snapped back, and then swallowed at the looks both his friends appraised him with.

"Fine." He muttered, feeling infinitely more nervous than he had in a very long time. He took two steps and then paused, startled to find Tenten coming back through, led by a blonde he recognized as Deidara.

"What?" Sakura blinked at the girl. "What are you doing? Where's Hina?"

"Well... I... I'm just getting our coats. Deidara is showing me where they put them." Tenten hesitated and the blonde paused, eyeing her with a lack of patience that was obvious despite leaning against the door frame of the kitchen.

"Where's Hinata?" Naruto frowned. Deidara was one of the few Akatsuki he wasn't even on speaking terms with and the two blondes shot each other icy glares.

"Sasori is with her, she just went outside for a bit to calm down." At this Tenten's brown eyes snapped to Sasuke with dislike. "You know... seeing as she's _never_ been this upset before."

"Sasori?" Sasuke ignored her simmering, slamming his gaze on Deidara forcefully. Right behind him was Naruto, blue gaze unwavering in it's threat.

Feeling quickly how outgunned he was the blonde raised his hands. "Whoa, ease up. I just happened to be walking by and she needed someone to lead her through the mess." Deidara waved at the chaos of the party. "That's all, if anything you guys should thank me."

"How about you just lead us back to where they were, Tenten?" Naruto muttered, turning away from Deidara like he didn't exist. "Sasori's kind of ..." He shrugged and Tenten's eyes grew wide. "He wouldn't... he wouldn't try anything with her, right?"

"No, but..." Sakura began and then paused, reconsidering.

Sasuke tried to think, as they talked he listened to the pulsing of blood pumping through his ears and competing with the bass of the music further in the house. Hinata was exactly the right kind of score for Sasori, she looked wide eyed and scared. More than once his brother had had to intervene when a girl too drunk to articulate the 'no' she was trying to say was being encouraged to make choices she would have otherwise preferred not to. If only for that Itachi had admitted he didn't mind Sasuke turning down Akatsuki. At the time Sasori had been nothing but a brother, rising up the ranks only when Itachi graduated and moved from the University and consequently Akatsuki House.

And now, because of his inability to speak calmly like a normal human being Hinata was with him alone, and upset. Voicing similar thoughts as the ones tripping through his brain Tenten suddenly gasped, "I am the worst friend." dashing back the way she had just come, looking near tears herself. Startled Sakura sucked in a breath. "Oh... Tenten, wait!"

Together she and Naruto shot off after her and Deidara scoffed, rolling his eyes, moving to leave only to pause at the sound of Sasuke's voice.

"Deidara." Face placid, if a little irritated the blonde looked at him over his shoulder questioningly.

"Where'd she take her?" Sasuke's tone was calm, even conversational, except for the rigid muscles of his shoulders and perceptible threat on his pale face. Deidara considered, biting the inside of his cheek as he thought. "Hn." He sighed, closing his eyes as he rubbed the back of his neck. "What's the point of a Stop Light Party if the lights mean nothing? She shouldn't have had a green if she wasn't good to go."

This was not the response that Sasuke had been hoping for. Jaw tightening he rolled his shoulders once and took a step forward. "You really don't want me to ask again."

"Jeez, breathe. If I'm right and Sasori is doing his usual thing... he'll take her to the observatory." He shrugged, taking a wary step backwards.

Someone at the counter half drowned in beer glanced up then. "Yeah he did, we saw them a bit ago heading up. I don't know how he does it," the young man slurred. "He scores _every_ single time."

"I doubt that." Sasuke muttered, turning and heading towards the sliding glass door at the back of the kitchen that led to the patio, trying to calm the ringing in his ears as he slid it open and closed, stepping out into the freezing evening with his eyes fixed on the tower on the other side of the pool.

Sucking in a breath he let it out slowly, hoping he wasn't walking into another slap on the face.

* * *

"Oh." Hinata murmured, leaning down to peer through the telescope. The tower wasn't heated but there were blankets and after having Sasori throw one over her shoulders she had stopped shivering as much. Pushing her hair back a bit she squinted into the brightness of the stars where he had set it up to show her Mars glowing brightly in the navy blue heavens.

"I need to learn more constellations." She admitted softly, straightening and tightening the blanket around her shoulders lightly. Usually this would have been the perfect thing to get her thinking about something else, to loosen her tense shoulders and get her marveling at the world around her. The tempest in her chest would have quieted, it's importance and potency in a world so big easily overshadowed by the beauty of the heavens. But for reasons she was finding hard to articulate she was tense, her eyes shifting around the small platform of the observatory, eyeing the rafters above and the staircase to the right as though studying it in case of a need for an emergency exit.

Unfortunately she was finding only one way to leave, the way they had come, on the long twisting staircase.

"I'm a fantastic teacher." Sasori teased, leaning against the railing as he studied her. Everything about him was so relaxed and open, but a fist refused to loosen in Hinata's belly and carefully she shrugged. "Oh, that's...good... Um. I should go though, Tenten is certain to be looking for me now." She peeked over the railing only to start and turn at the feel of his hand on her elbow, warm compared to the icy touch of the cold air.

"I suppose." Sasori conceded, the first time in the last fifteen minutes that he acknowledged her discomfort. "You know... I don't suppose you'd be interested in staying longer, hm? I could text her and let her know she could head home on her own. I could always drive you later."

Hinata blinked at him slowly, feeling her face heating and that fist in her stomach twisting a bit. "Oh... I... I don't know.. I'm sorry, I don't think I can." she mumbled, surprised by the forward approach he was taking suddenly. Before she could lose her nerve she turned, heading towards the stairs. "I'm sorry." She added, out of habit. His expression, half hidden by the shadows and lit only by the lights of the house dimly broke, and it didn't take her long to realize it wasn't hurt she was seeing.

"Well, wait." He sounded breathless and at his tone she did, biting her lip. Slowly he meandered after her as if there was no hurry studying her. "I'm not accustomed to being turned down so... let's just say I'm already in new ground now." He began cocking his head at her and smiling. "Which you should be proud of, that doesn't happen often. You're very interesting."

Again Hinata swallowed, warning bells ringing despite the gentleness on his face. His gray gaze seemed unaffected by the warmth he was displaying on his features and delicately she stepped back, feeling the railing at the small of her back like a gun barrel, threatening in it's hold.

"I'm sorry if I mis...communicated..."she began, although really she wasn't feeling that sorry at all. If anything, she was regretting not being more forceful.

"You're... no. You didn't." He shook his head, alleviating a little bit of the tension in her body. "I'm a photographer though so, since you walked in the front door I've been thinking of you nonstop." He smirked. "I think probably because you have no idea you have that effect on people. You don't realize it, do you?" His tone was less darling, less soft, more irritable and he stopped, on the edge of her personal space, toeing the line and watching as if to see what she would do.

Mouth wide open Hinata stared. "What? I... no, I ..." she paused and gasped feeling him stepping through the invisible barrier into what should have been her embrace if her hands were not slamming to his chest to keep him at bay. Ignoring her protestations he gripped her hip hard, his hand tangling into the darkness of her curls.

"You need to find a way to look less cute when scared. It's a bad skill to have." The velvet of his voice was threadbare now, beneath it hard pumice threatened and she felt her breath hitch, disbelieving.

"You... you need to let go of me." Her voice didn't sound like her own and abruptly her arms pushed, letting go of the blanket and feeling it tangle her feet as she tried to step back despite the wall keeping her pinned. "B-back off!"

"Stop that." Sasori snapped and all pretense seemed to fall from him, his features and gaze changing to match in their slate gray coldness. With a sharp shake Hinata felt her dress and the delicate lace that held it together at the neck and arm rip as he gripped her hard, giving her a shake. The sound was like a wound and with a gulp of cold air she felt the sting of tears before she shoved him hard. "No!"

"I said stop it." He ordered again, despite her shoving hands, gripping her sleeve tight he stumbled back a step at her flailing and the last bits holding the right side of her dress together at the neck and arm snapped.

Drowning in the panic now her hands fluttered, birds set free to tangle in the shreds of her lace, pinning the fabric to her body although the icy touch of the winter night was sliding over her bare skin, shocking not in it's cold now but in the reality that she was standing there with a man willing to rip her clothing from her.

How could this possibly be happening? Owlish gray eyes fixed on him she shuddered between anger and fear, stunned into stillness.

"Now look what you did." He snapped, tossing the torn bit of lace from her sleeve still in his hand on the floor. The movement, the lack of care and the blame he threw at her like spit set her belly to fire. Certainty overwhelmed her, certainty that like falling from a cliff would result in pain and possibly death if Sasori got his hands on her again there would be blood.

She watched, every muscle in her body tensing, a stillness sliding over her limbs as she watched him raise his chin at her to march forward, to claim by force what he thought he deserved, mouth pursing to state something.

Before any words could leap from him, tainting the air with honesty about his intentions steps interrupted on the metal staircase and he turned along with Hinata who realized abruptly that she was panting, terror clawing at her throat at the possibility that Hidan would be the one to appear a few feet from her, his predatory grin rising to meet her from the shadows.

Instead, unbelievable and baffling Sasuke's dark hair and black eyes fixed themselves on her face, his expression going from wary to stone still as he searched her eyes, leaving them only for a moment to rest on her fingers clenching her clothing to her body like a lifeline and Sasori standing stiffly a few steps away, glaring.

"You?" The redhead said the word like it tasted sour. "What are you-?"

Voice soft Sasuke turned away from him, back to the girl shaking a few steps up from where he stood. "Hinata... are you okay?"

Slowly she breathed as though coming out of water, a tremor shaking her from head to toe. Her eyes remained fixated on his, pale lips unable to move as she nodded once.

"Okay." He had not felt this sick in awhile, and suddenly he understood why Itachi had just shrugged when he'd adamantly stated he would not be joining his fraternity. He had told him before, of walking into this scenario, of watching as the girls shaking like fall leaves in the wind froze at the sight of possible escape, the disbelief and confusion on their faces haunting.

"Tenten and Sakura are looking for you, are you ready to go?" He hesitated for a moment, restraining the desire to extend his hand, feeling that in this moment he couldn't even consider touching her unless she reached for him. And she did not, her arms wrapped around her torso, keeping her tattered clothing as close to her slim shape as possible. "

"Slow down." Sasori snapped, taking two steps to stand between them. "I'll take her down in a minute, you tell Tenten-"

In the time it took Sasori to say those words Sasuke had moved up the steps and shoved him, hard, knocking him off balance and stumbling backwards to the railing at the other end of the small observatory platform. Feeling his breath suddenly slam to a sprint Sasuke pinned him there, one hand on his shoulder, gripping his shirt with enough force to pinch the skin beneath, dark eyes nauseatingly calm.

"Talk to me again, and I'll throw you off this thing." His voice was low and serene in it's murderous threat and without bothering to look at him again he turned to Hinata, motioning to the steps, keeping his hands clear of her. "Let's go."

Breath coming in uneven hitched gasps from jumping at the sudden movement she turned and stumbled down a handful of the steps before grabbing on to the railing with one hand and keeping a firm grip on her dress with the other, unsteady now as the adrenaline became an even tide instead of a thunderous roar in her ears.

"...He... He..." She began slowly as they went down the curving staircase, glancing back at Sasuke who had his face held tight in a frown. "Don't look back, keep going."

As they landed on the ground he glanced at the sliding glass door where he had come out, noting that several faces were peering at them in the dim light of the party.

Sucking in air as though drowning Hinata turned her back to them, trembling hands tight on her torn clothes. "I... I can't-"

"No... I know." Sasuke paused, thinking quickly. "Here, let's go around." He motioned to the side of the house where she had come through with Sasori and together they wandered around the pool and out of sight of the onlookers, moving fast where Sasori had taken his time. Never had he been more thankful to have visited Itachi while he lived in this place as he was then, glad that he knew the layout more or less and after a moment had them on the path towards the front doors.

"I actually don't know where Tenten or Sakura are, we may need to go back inside-" He began slowly and paused when Hinata shook her head fiercely. "No. Please... I... I'm just going to walk home." There was a ringing in her ears that was dizzying and it was taking a lot of effort to not start running. Whatever fight she had seen herself giving at the top of the observatory tower the energy accumulated for it was in her limbs, itching to set her like an arrow from a bow straight home to hide under the covers. Everything looked sharp and defined even in the dark and as they neared the patio where she had originally been she hesitated to stop walking, moving and shifting on her heels, eyes frightened as they glanced back towards where Sasori would be.

The campus was only a fifteen minute walk but Sasuke just stared at her, shivering in the cold, holding her clothing together with her fingers, eyes still wide with what he figured was disbelief.

Slowly, because it seemed there would likely not be a better time to say it he murmured. "I'm so sorry."

Startled Hinata raised her gaze to his feeling her body still, if only for a moment as she blinked at him hard, unsure of what he was apologizing for. There were a lot of things she was trying to organize in her mind. None of them were things she wanted to remember.

"...yes..." she finally mumbled, pushing her hair back from her face with a trembling hand. "...okay."

"You can't go home alone. Let me find them, at least." He added slowly, reaching for the side door she had used to get out of the building in the first place. Looking around in the dark Hinata felt her heart stumble at the thought of being left alone. In the shadows she could see Hidan or Sasori appearing, their intent eyes now not just nerve wrecking but terrifying. "No... no, I'm just going to go... it's fine. Thanks... thank you-"

"Hinata... you can't-" He paused and gritting his jaw finally said. "..I'll walk you home, okay?"

He wasn't surprised when her eyes studied him, although the bewilderment of what had just happened to her had not even quite worn off her gaze now looked wary where he had never noticed such distrust before. Her irritation with him had always been after he had done something stupid, opened his mouth and bothered her, not before, as though expecting a blow.

Uncertainly he waited and added softly. "I don't have to... but I don't really think you walking home alone is a good idea." he motioned to her then and blinking hard she looked down at herself cursing any weakness in her mind that had allowed herself to be brought to this thing.

In the hysteria something bloomed, and his words from earlier fluttered through her mind, not like snowflakes but hail, bouncing off her pride and denting it.

"...I guess I am too naive." she murmured, almost to herself although it caused him to flinch. "Listen... I'm... " he paused, trying to think of the words he wanted to say and then regretting them despite their honesty. A little begrudgingly he pushed forward, annoyed with himself. "I'm pretty bad at...socializing. Naruto and Sakura- they've been... That was uncalled for." He finished, appalled by his inability to speak. "It was uncalled for. I'm sorry."

"But it was true." Hinata let her shoulders droop slightly, gazing at the stone beneath her feet, noting that somehow she had got a tear in her tights and somehow that seemed overwhelming to her. Touching it lightly with a finger she felt her eyes hot and wet. Voice shaky she hid her face in her hair, feeling her arm going numb from holding her dress together. "Okay... I just.. I have to go home. W...will you walk me then?"

"Yes." He nodded, glancing back through the doors in case he could by some miracle spot the blonde idiot that had dragged him here or the other two now very angry friends he would eventually have to deal with. But only unfamiliar faces glowed in the light of the hall and with a quick uncertain bite to his lip he nodded at her. "Let's go. You're going to freeze, we should get your jacket-"

"No... I... no, Hidan was there, and.." she shook her head, unable to even process bumping into him right then. "I just want to go."

With the same uncertainty that seemed to be plaguing every single one of his decisions he finally nodded, staring at her bowed head, at the tiny shoulders and her fingers still knuckle white against her clothing.

"... I always knew I'd hate parties." Hinata whispered finally, and he moved after a breath to lead her towards the street, feeling the itch again to touch her and restraining himself with all his might.

"Hn." Sasuke grunted, "I thought I was the only one."

Inside both sighed with relief as the party faded in the dark behind them, relishing the quiet of a midnight silent and cold, like an ice pack on a concussion.

* * *

"Neji is going to skin me." Tenten bit her nail frantically as she scanned the library again, searching for the dark hair and white dress that were quickly graying every brown lock on her head. "He's going to skin me and use me as a drum."

"Just... calm down. She has to be here somewhere, and at least we know Sasori's not with her because the idiot was over there." Sakura added, motioning over her shoulder vaguely at the last place they had bumped into him.

They had been going to ask where Hinata was now, but one look from his rather irritated expression had stayed both the girls in place, blinking at him and the loathing radiating off his body with worry.

"She turned him down for sure." Tenten flailed then, arms floundering with panic. "How did Neji know? I mean, how would we know this kind of thing would happen to her? I don't get it."

"Maybe because he's a guy?" Sakura theorized helplessly. The truth was she had known Hinata would potentially attract a lot of attention. Dressed in her bookish sweaters, baggy jeans, eyes always down at a book or smiling past giant scarves she wasn't in the line of sight a lot. But in heels she made jaws drop. Maybe she and Ino had forgotten that unlike everyone else she wasn't used to flaunting it. What had Sasuke snapped at her in their fight?

 _"You're waving a white flag of surrender."_ Wincing at the memory she pressed a hand to her face and then started, catching sight of her favorite blonde weaving through the crowd, blue eyes searching intently until he caught sight of her,

Weaving through the crowd he came up to them, shaking his head. "I can't find them. Sasuke has disappeared too. Do you think he found her?"

"I hope not. I don't want her assaulting anyone else for the rest of the night." Tenten growled, and paused when Sakura and Naruto looked at her a little less than enthusiastically.

"What?"

"I think he's just... not sure how to get over the fact he likes her a lot." Sakura ventured slowly, to which Tenten made a face. "I'm sorry, but if that's what it looks like when he cares about someone-"

"I think he's interested. Sasuke isn't going to pursue something if he's only interested, you know him." Naruto interrupted quickly, looking at Sakura with a face that encouraged discretion. "Maybe we've been teasing a lot. Let's just... let him be?"

"Let him be?" Tenten's tone was deadly and with a scoff she turned, heading back down the hall in search for her friend. "If he makes her upset one more time I'm telling Neji and then-"

"Aw no... don't do that." Naruto sighed. "Please."

"Well get a handle on that rabid dog then." She shot back, making him wince.

"'Kay..." he lamented lightly. "I'll try." Beside him Sakura squeezed his hand, green eyes gentle.

"Do you think she would have gone home alone?" she finally sighed. "I mean... we have looked everywhere."

"We should see if they have her coat at the front." Naruto said suddenly. "Come on." And together the three went off, still searching for the dark hair that was causing all the anxiety.

* * *

At first the walk had cooled the fervor of her blush, a thing she had always disliked but now loathed as she followed in Sasuke's shadow. Every feeling in her chest seemed to be a thousand times brighter than it's usual counterpart and as the blush faded she wondered about her inability to stay calm, to think clearly. She had never been more dismayed by herself as she was stumbling home in tatters and tears.

The route they were taking led them through halos of yellow warmth from the streetlights, their breaths fogging the air before them with every few steps. A little steam train of awkward and sad. A little ahead but mostly beside her Sasuke kept his head down, and although he was watching carefully out of the corner of his eye as she marched he felt the push of her need for space like a physical wall, bracing against him whenever their steps came too close together, forcing him ahead or to the side a foot or two.

It wasn't until they were halfway to campus that he noticed the tears that were rolling down her cheeks, dropping off her chin ignored because her hands were busy holding onto her dress. Biting the inside of his cheek he sighed. "...did he hurt you? Are you..." he wasn't sure how to continue, and her eyes rose to him, a tempest held within each orb making his intestines twist and turn uncomfortably inside him.

"N-no... he didn't do..." she paused and lowered her head again after a moment, trying to wipe at her chin and cheek with her shoulder without much success. Saying he didn't do anything seemed like the most fatal lie she could ever tell and the word to end the sentence tangled in her words and hung itself from them before allowing itself passage.

"Good." He replied, surprised a little by the softness in the word he released. Through wet lashes Hinata peered at him in distant unfocused puzzlement, shivering violently in the cold as they stepped into campus and past the Konoha University sign leading to the dorms.

With her teeth chattering and thinking of a hot shower she stopped walking abruptly, closing her eyes. "I... I... my keys...were in my coat pocket."

Glancing back Sasuke paused, knowing there would be no going back. Her face was white, her lips pale and besides being extremely tired she was shaking so hard he could see the tremors making the ends of her curls dance against the white of her torn dress.

"I'll call Naruto. Come on, you can't stay outside." He muttered, trying to remain calm as he walked the few steps towards his dormitory doorway.

Hinata didn't follow, standing on the sidewalk still she stared, watching as he pulled out his keys and with the jingle breaking the stillness of midnight in a largely empty campus he turned, holding the door open to her, dark eyes patient.

The cold was making her fingers hurt. It was pinching and biting, a thousand tiny teeth that nibbled and although no skin was broken she felt the agony of it. But the door loomed bright and innocent, like Sasori's gray gaze and his velvet voice it threatened to betray. Pale lips pursed tightly into a thin line and swallowing she stared at Sasuke, forcing herself to keep her eyes on his face and as she had expected he did not waver as he stared back.

"...w-why.." she paused, hearing for the first time how rough her voice sounded, how scared, how bone weary tired. "...why are you being nice to me?"

Nice seemed like such a silly infantile word to use and as she said it she winced, watching as he sighed a little, surprising her as he lowered his head and looked at the ground. "I owe you, Hyuuga." He looked up then, looking almost as though he were ready to plead, although he didn't.

"You are going to catch pneumonia." He added after a moment of silence passed and she blinked rapidly, absorbing what he had just said.

Unable to stand the cold any longer she moved forward slowly and stopped right in front of the door, staring at it instead of him. "...I...I'll..." she frowned and gathering all of her last reserves whispered. "...I'll hit you again if you..." She was unsure what she was going to say, and didn't get a chance to finish. Abruptly breaking the lingering silence he made a sound between a laugh and a snort surprising her as she turned to look at him, not altogether pleased with his reaction with her threat until she saw just the barest hint of admiration along with the amusement on his face. "I don't doubt that." He nodded for her to move forward. "But, you don't have to worry. I doubt I would live to see the next day with the friends you have."

Somewhat assured by his reply she stepped forward, and followed him down the near silent hall. Friday nights were quiet, because if people were not out partying they were out working and if they weren't working they were studying and if they weren't studying they were sleeping. As it were, half the dorm was empty, she could tell from the silence and the lack of lights along the doorways she passed.

At the end of the hall Sasuke unlocked his bedroom door and stepped in, waving a hand to the right with something that looked like a breed of disgust he had grown used to.

"Just... ignore the dump over there, that's Naruto's side." He muttered, switching a desk lamp on the left and flooding the room with the soft glow.

Her pale eyes scanned for a moment the room and quickly realized that of all the things she had thought about Sasuke Uchiha, neat freak had not been one of them. The contrast was stark. Things were thrown carelessly on one desk. Books were piled in teetering towers and jackets sat layer upon layer on the chair. The bed was unmade and several piles of unfolded clothing sat at the foot of the bed.

Between the two beds was a nightstand and above it a window open to the brightness of the streetlight that shone on the campus grounds. On the nightstand surface a war waged between order and chaos. Wrappers and a phone charger and several empty cans of soda sat on the right side, and on the other a neat stack of books, a flashlight and a bottle of water.

"...how...are you guys friends." She whispered softly, watching as Sasuke bent to pull out a basket of folded clothing from beneath his made bed.

"...uh..." He admitted slowly. "It's a long story..." fumbling through the clothes he tossed a couple things on the bed and straightened, running a hand through his mess of black hair.

"Oh." Hinata replied, fingers tight on her clothes. Hearing the curiosity in her voice he moved to the closet and rummaged on the hangers, biting his lip as the silence stretched. Finally feeling it tensing to breaking point he sighed.

"...Naruto decided for whatever reason that I was important to him. Honestly, that's pretty much it. When he decides that... there's not a lot a person can do to get rid of him. And, eventually you don't want to." He muttered, pulling a sweat shirt out. "He decided he was my brother, so ... you kind of tolerate things from siblings you wouldn't from other people. I just, didn't have the same parents."

Hinata's owlish gaze stayed on his face, and perhaps the shock of the night made her unaware of her staring.

"...that's the most you have ever said in front of me." She mumbled.

Blinking back at her rapidly Sasuke offered her the sweat shirt. "I'm really bad at... new people." It left a strange taste in his mouth admitting he was bad at anything in particular but he wasn't a liar and her honesty deserved honesty. It just made him cringe inside.

Slowly her gaze traveled to the article of clothing in his hand and she took it wordlessly.

"There's... other things on the bed if you want. I'll just be outside." He added, and stepped out, closing the door behind himself.

Suddenly engulfed in silence and privacy Hinata stared at the door and then looked down at the clothing she had been offered. Dragging in a breath slowly she sat on the corner of his bed and looked around again, her eyes studying the water color paintings of woodlands and scrub jays that were tacked all over the desk. Sniffing softly she pulled her dress off, scrambling to get the clothing he had left on as quickly as possible, aware that her heart was pounding as she did it.

The sweat shirt nearly reached her knees, and the shirt beneath it as well but with her tights and a pair of his socks on she suddenly felt much warmer. Slowly she slid to the floor, wrapping her arms around her knees and laying her head down, realizing that the shivering had not been all from the cold.

After another long few minutes a light knock on the door made her open her eyes, realizing she had almost fallen asleep. The tiredness was inside her bones, and the warmth of clean warm clothes and the silence was a heady drug, making her eyelids heavy and thoughts slow.

"I'm done." She forced herself to call out. Embarrassed she buried her face in her arms as he came back in and like her slid his back down the smoothness of the door to the ground until he was peering at her over his loosely clasped hands. He opened his mouth to say he had called Naruto, feeling a little guilty for using his anonymous friend's phone but she cut him off.

From the depths of her arms she whispered. "I'm sorry I slapped you."

He breathed in deep then, and smirked as he leaned his head back against the door, closing his eyes. "I'm not. Sometimes people just need a smack."

Her head shot up then, and her gray eyes bore into him with such intensity that he blinked and turned to her, feeling their touch on his face even with his eyes closed.

After a moment he frowned a little and she remembered again from his tone how she had got to the point where she could have slapped him. "What?"

"N...nothing." She mumbled, turning away with a slight shake of her head. "I just... thought you would be upset."

"Well, it wasn't pleasant." He admitted, rubbing at the cheek she had attacked idly. "But..."

"You weren't pleasant either." She mumbled, and even though she had the right to say it her cheeks still brightened, eyes focused on the sleeves of his sweat shirt.

"No. I wasn't." He agreed, feeling increasingly more sheepish as the time ticked by.

"...but then..." Hinata's voice wavered and he worried for a moment she was going to cry. "Sasori was pretty pleasant up until he..."

Drawing in air hard Sasuke shifted against the door, clenching his fingers rhythmically for a moment. "Akatsuki has a bad reputation." He murmured softly. "I'm sorry that..." He floundered for a moment. Endings to that sentence jumped at him. All of them true, none of them spoken. _I'm sorry I wasn't there earlier, I'm sorry I made you so upset you ran, I'm sorry I didn't punch his face, I'm sorry that happened. I'm just sorry._

"I don't think he meant to rip it." Hinata whispered, pressing her nose hard into her forearm, her voice muffled. "But... I don't really understand what he meant to do then." It was the first time she lied about it, and as the sound escaped her she realized that for a long time she would be telling the same lie. The lie that she wasn't sure what he would have done after, if Sasuke had not come. This lie was easy. The truth was untouchable, like a fire.

Unwilling to venture a guess himself, Sasuke looked away.

"My cousin Neji... he says I have a knack for getting in trouble." She continued, her voice breaking from between her lips without her permission. The words felt heavy on her tongue and the thought of holding them back made her a little nauseated. "Not... _making_ trouble but getting _in_ trouble. He told me that's why he didn't like me going to parties. And I never cared because... I dunno... they seemed loud and smelly to me. But Tenten really wanted to go." Her eyes watered then and softly she whispered. "I think I may be a push over."

For a moment Sasuke just watched as she pressed her forehead into her arms hard, trying to hide within the giant folds of his clothing and then softly he said. "I dunno... as the most recent person to have been slapped by you I feel like I can safely say that doesn't ring very true."

And softly a tiny wet laugh escaped from her arms where she was hiding. Pale gray eyes peeked over her shoulder at him, half moons of mirth covered in the remnant dew of sadness.

"I think you're the only person I've ever slapped, actually." Her confession was sheepish and he thought instantly as he looked at her of his pencils and sketchbook.

"My opinion should have some solid weight then." He grumbled mildly, turning his eyes away from her with some effort.

Sniffing lightly he watched as she leaned her head on her arm and with her eyes half closed let out a shaky sigh. "I'm sorry I've invaded your room."

"You can sleep if you want. I could go back to the party to find the others. I called Naruto, he said they were coming." He commented, moving to stand.

"No... don't." Her voice sounded a little surprised, almost as much as his face looked at her words. "...don't... don't leave me alone, please."

Slowly Sasuke lowered himself back down to the ground where he had been. With her eyes closed he studied her and after a moment of contemplating her in the dim light of his drawing lamp with the indigo color of her hair lit from behind he murmured, almost too quiet to hear.

"...can I draw you?"

She didn't jump, or blush hard as he expected, too tired he figured and to recently overwhelmed to be phased. "Someone told me once that things are interesting for about ten seconds before it fades, when you're an artist." She frowned mildly then, eyes still half closed with tiredness. "Or something... like that. I can't remember correctly." And from the slow drawl of her words he had a feeling she was too tired to care.

But he cared. Those words sounded almost... familiar.

Holding himself very still Sasuke stared at her, an almost frown on his face as he hesitated to speak.

"Who told you that?" His voice came out shaky, disbelieving.

"Just a friend." She shrugged her shoulders gently. "Will you hate me again tomorrow?"

The switch in topic was startling enough that he flinched and rubbed his eyes to buy time before he replied, ruffling his own hair hard. "I don't hate you. I'm just..."

"Grumpy?"

"Antisocial, I was going to say." He almost smiled then.

"M-mean."

"Wow." He breathed. "I thought you said you were a push over."

"I think tonight may have cured me." She smiled then and his fingers itched to take up his pencil.

Clearing his throat he shifted. "So?"

"Oh... yes I suppose, but... I d-don't get it."

"Get what?" He was already up, grabbing his sketchbook and pencil case, throwing it open well past any pages with the vague memories of her eyes and hands.

She shrugged and he realized she meant why he would want to draw her. Usually at this point he would have said something along the lines of "Something to do." or "To practice." Or if the girl was being particularly annoying he would have probably said something nasty that would dissuade any confusion on her part about how he felt. Something like "I need to learn to draw messy hair or small eyes."

But this was the one girl in the world who had hit him, not in a flirting or friendly way, but with force, with violence, with a demand to be respected. His eyes took in her form, curled within the folds of his clothing, smaller still within it's fibers than without. Inside that stitching raged a tempest, quiet and still but for the clouds of rolling gray that blinked at him so confused. There would be no insult this time in response to the question, the curiosity about why he would want to draw her. Instead he took a breath and making sure his eyes were down on the page he whispered.

"Why wouldn't I?"

She was quiet then, and the only options she had to reply with would require commenting on her own looks, something she was infinitely unwilling to do. Too tired to really give this much thought she pressed harder into her arms, letting her eyes rise to meet his for a moment, foiling his plan to keep from seeing her expression. However, whatever he had hoped to avoid seeing wasn't in her gray gaze, only tiredness looked back, tiredness that was slowly succumbing to a feeling of safety that was at the back of her mind baffling in his presence.

"I'm sorry... if I fall asleep." She breathed it with half conscious lips, watching through her lashes as he looked at her and seemed to both see her and not see her at once.

It was the last thing she said, and then she did fall asleep, and although it was easier to draw her dozing without tension along her shoulders he found that despite being with someone in the room he suddenly felt a little lonely.

* * *

 _ **Syn'ri**_

 _ **Hi! You have no idea how I appreciate reviews like yours. There's only a handful of people who review like that. It's infinitely appreciated. So- here's my response.**_

 _ **I think, a lot of stuff I know because the story talks to me and only me and then I forget to add it in. So... the fact that you're like "What's up with Sasuke only liking her body?" I was like "Wha?" At first because... in my head it's not that. It's that she doesn't like him for one thing, when everyone else does, and for another that he thought she was an annoying push over and she proves to be a little bit of a spit fire, he's amused by her getting flustered which is why he's annoying to her but only because she eventually defends herself, and doesn't really give a shit what he thinks, just she's too kind to smack him around the way the other girls would.**_

 _ **I obviously haven't done a great job of displaying that aspect of his attraction since it has not come through very well. But I will try harder. So thanks for that.**_

 _ **What else did you mention... Oh Hinata hating him. Yeah. Well, if you read this chapter... there's the turning point.**_

 _ **I am not usually so willing to just ignore things that are like "that wouldn't happen!" But this story is full of them. For instance I'm wincing at the fact that this particular Friday Hinata has gone for a run, fallen out of a tree, had an interaction with Sasuke at the library, went to a party, got manhandled not once but THREE times, slapped someone for the first time and then ended up in Sasuke's room well after midnight.**_

 _ **That's a lot to happen to a girl in one day but fuck it. I'm having fun. I had a lot of coffee today. HOWEVER. If i were to revisit this and try to make it more believable and compelling the time would stretch infinitely longer and things could happen at a more believable and reliable pace. Ya know? What else... um...Oh, the fact that they don't act like real people. Well, yeah... I took two 12 year old ninjas... and I threw them into a university that doesn't exist. I'm not defending the writing because, if I was better at what I do they would seem believable anyway but ya know... fiction.**_

 _ **ALTHOUGH, and let me stress that I am aware I can improve my writing in this area and I do appreciate you pointing it out: if you've read anything like... Anna Karenina or Wuthering Heights for instance you'll find there's a lot of characters that are just not like real people- at least... no one I've met either. So yes, the critique applies to my writing here but maybe don't apply it to every character you read. Ya know? I hope that doesn't sound snooty, I don't mean it that way, let me know if I don't make sense. Thank you for reading and reviewing!**_

 _ **Wow AN overload. Sorry.**_

 _ **Much love,**_

 _ **Inky**_


	8. Chapter 8

_**A.N**_

 _ **So I'm sorry to anyone who read the last chapter before I edited it. I was really jazzed on coffee when I wrote it and upon re-reading it I was horrified and did my best to fix it. But alas I don't know if that worked or not.**_

 _ **Also, Giada Luna- the champion of all reviewers. Wowzers thank you so much again for all your incredible feedback.**_

 _ **And Helo Belo: I have had a couple reviews that have actually made me wonder what the heck I'm doing, if I should perhaps stop and re-frame my plot line, toss a whole story, stop and re-edit, they've made me doubt myself. It's never been with bad intentions, I don't believe, but I do have a fragile little writing ego and you always have a way of really soothing the pandemonium in my mind with your reviews. I appreciate that a lot.**_

 _ **I have some amazing people reading my stuff and sending messages, thank you guys. I am always floored when I see the interest and response to random thoughts i have in the middle of the night :) Thank you.**_

* * *

Waking up to the smell of someone else's sheets was something she had never experienced, and it got her up with a heart that was racing to get out of her body. Wide eyed she pulled the blankets to her chest and stared, in the dim light of very early morning. There were the shapes of unfamiliar furniture, the slate blue of the sun coming through a curtain at the window left wide open and outside the street light was still on. It's brightness being over powered by the cool hue of the winter sun rising.

Licking her lips nervously she turned, and studied things carefully, listening to the soft and even breaths of someone else alive in the room until her eyes landed on the bundle of blankets on the bed that she now realized was Naruto's.

In those few moments of panic her mind tripped and tripped and tripped again, images from the night before scrambling to straighten themselves before her.

There was the neon colored brightness of the glow in the dark necklaces tossed in the black of a sea of bodies dancing. The smell of liquor spilled on the ground making her heels stick with each step as she ran. Her hand tingled and she looked at it, remembering the impact of her palm to Sasuke's cheek and his wide black eyes sparkling with something that was one part shock and one part something else that was too hard to understand in the split second she had had to look at him.

And then, to solidify the sick rolling feeling in her stomach was the memory of her dress ripping off her body, the cold sting of the winter night on her bare skin and Sasori's eyes cold and irritated with her.

Swallowing the tightness in her throat she crawled slowly to the edge of the bed, eyes intent on the breathing shadow on the other side of the room, wondering if there would be a blonde head there, or a black one. Surprised that she was unsure which was worse. A week ago she would have said Naruto for sure, but now...

The idea of Sasuke Uchiha bringing her back to his room, leaving her to sleep on his bed, offering her clothes was so surreal that if she weren't still right where she was, in his room she would be doubting it to be true.

However, voiding all doubt her hands were half covered in the sleeves of a sweatshirt that was entirely too big and smelled distinctly of a different laundry soap and something else, something that was also on the bed sheets.

Something that was him.

It wasn't a bad thing, just different, which was a little bit unnerving because she would almost have preferred if it was bad. Mouth dry she padded barefoot to the door, and stopped at the sight of her coat sitting in a pile on the floor. Grabbing it with shaking fingers she fumbled in the pockets and pulled out her cell phone, staring at the time which read an unholy hour of morning and half a dozen messages glowing on it's face.

 _ **I hope your night was better than mine.**_

 _ **Essentially, the whole thing I said about me being instinctively not nice is true, and also not as beneficial as I first thought.**_

 _ **For reasons I can't really explain, I can't sleep and you aren't replying which is surprising me that it's bothering me.**_

 _ **You lost my phone too, didn't you?**_

 _ **I hope you are okay.**_

 _ **When you get this, can you text me back.**_

 _ **Please.**_

Wide eyed Hinata stared at the phone, and then sat on the edge of Sasuke's bed, blinking at it.

The feeling the messages caused to sprout in her chest was a tangle, guilt and confusion and then finally a little bit of happiness knotted together and she wasn't sure if she should frown or smile. For a moment her fingers lingered over the screen, hesitating to write something back and then the form on the other side of the room shifted and she jumped, shoving the phone into the pocket of her coat which she was now hurriedly trying to put on.

It seemed however that Sasuke who she had assumed would be the one in the bed sensed her movement and he shoved himself up on his elbow, blinking at her sleepily rubbing at his face with his arm.

They stared at each other for a second and Hinata felt herself pressing her arms to her sides as hard as she could, attempting it seemed to her, to shrink into nothingness.

"Uh... I'm... I'm so sorry, I didn't... I didn't mean to take your... your... " she blinked several times at him and then waved at his bed, unwilling to use the word somehow. It felt strange. She had slept in Sasuke's bed.

In Sasuke's Bed.

She. Hinata Hyuuga.

In. Sasuke. Uchiha's. Bed.

"I... have to go." she decided, grabbing the heels she had unceremoniously left on the floor of his room the night before and clutching them to her chest she unlocked the door, holding her breath as she watched him sit up among the covers.

She stopped for a second then, with her hand on the door knob looking at him over her shoulder, surprised by the softness of his face, the unguarded turn of his mouth and glitter of his gaze. "It's really early." he began, unsure of where he was going with the sentence. It was hardly dawn, and it wasn't long enough ago since he had fallen asleep himself.

Softly Hinata shifted the heels in her hands, stopping long enough to swallow the panic at waking in a boy's room. "I... I'm... thank you for...I'm so sorry that I..." she blinked then rapidly. "Where... where's Naruto?"

"With Sakura." He cocked his head at her then, one eye open still not quite enough awake to watch her blaze with heat at the realization that her friend had had her first sleep over with her boyfriend due to her falling asleep in his room.

He must have misunderstood the discomfort on her face because he added dryly. "I really don't think he was unhappy about it."

It was the worst thing he could have said despite it sounding entirely too true and she scrunched up her nose and eyes as though from a blow, which he found himself smirking at, despite himself.

Before he could say anything else a knock on the door sounded and she jumped, staring at it like it might bite.

"Yo, everyone decent in there?" Naruto's voice called from the other side and then the sound of a smack filtered through while Hinata buried her face in her hands. "Naruto!" Sakura snapped, and then more softly. "Hina-chan? Are you-?"

Finally hearing a female voice Hinata ripped the door open, her wide eyed expression making Sakura grin instantly. "You're okay. Don't panic."

"But if Neji-nii-" Hinata began, eyes flickering briefly to Naruto who grinned at her mildly, wrinkling his nose at her in a way that seemed to calm her down.

"Let's go. It's early. No one's around. We can sneak." Sakura took her arm and pulled, stopping only for a moment to glare at Sasuke who was watching the exchange blearily. "You behaved yourself, I assume."

He scowled then, watching Hinata's face flash red. "As opposed to what, exactly?"

"Just checking." Sakura sniffed and trotted off with Hinata, looking surprisingly awake considering the time of morning compared to the poor Hyuuga. Still in a daze Hinata remembered to shout out. "T-thank you! I...um... Bye!"

Naruto waved from the hall, smiling slightly before turning to look at Sasuke still trying to fully wake up. "Yuck, get out of my bed."

"Yuck?" Sasuke growled, throwing the sheets and covers off like they were covered in spiders. "When is the last time you washed any of your bedding?"

"Bedding? Who calls it that? Also- I can't remember."

"You're disgusting." Sasuke grumbled, taking the two steps over to his bed and throwing himself into it.

For a moment he was confused by the warmth and then stilled, realizing the reason it smelled different than he remembered and felt warm was because Hinata had just woken from it.

"And...sleep is over." He sighed, shoving himself back up abruptly.

From the hall, leaning against the wall with his hands in his jacket pockets Naruto watched, smirking broadly. "You should get dressed anyway, we're going out for breakfast."

"No."

"I didn't ask, I was just letting you know." Naruto continued conversationally, sounding light hearted and care free.

Sasuke eyed him. "I said no. Why are you so...cheery?"

The shrug he received as reply was loose and destressed. "No reason."

"Oh... lord." Sasuke grimaced then, slamming himself down at his desk. "Doesn't Sakura have a room mate?"

For a moment Naruto didn't say anything, his grin too uncontainable to hide. "Ino was at Sai's."

"I am done." Sasuke informed him, grabbing his head phones quickly. "Go away and have your breakfast."

"No, no, you have to come." Naruto sighed. "I wasn't going to say anything anyway, you asked."

"My bad. And no, I'm not going."

"Listen." Naruto fixed him with a look, his tone serious. "Sakura has got it in her head that we're all going to breakfast. It's Saturday, Hinata had a rough night, we're all going. So get dressed."

Dark eyes turned to him slowly, unimpressed. "I said no. I've done enough socializing for the next year. " He waved a hand at the bed he was now avoiding at all costs. "I hosted for an entire night. I've paid my dues."

With a sigh Naruto rolled his neck and moved to take his jacket off. "All right. Well, I told you, you were coming. I never thought I'd have to wrestle you into presentable clothes but since you're determined to do things the hard way..." he stepped into the room, closing the door and Sasuke frowned at him, suddenly tense.

"You wouldn't."

"What should you wear?" Naruto continued, taking a quick look in the closet. "Clean shirt, clean pants." He tossed the items on the bed lightly, watching as Sasuke's tired eyes narrowed some more.

"Dobe, don't even think about it."

"How do you have so much clean clothing? I don't get it." Naruto commented lightly before turning back around. "All right. Last chance. You dress yourself or I'll-" and he cracked his knuckles against his palm experimentally.

Sasuke stared, contemplating. A wrestling match with Naruto on the bed that smelled of Hinata or clean clothes and breakfast.

"I think you're more irritating laid." He finally bit out standing up and grabbing his clothes violently. "Get out of my way, I'm going to shower."

"Atta boy." Naruto's grin was all the spring sunshines bundled together, happily he opened the door for him and threw a towel on top of his clothes.

"Make sure you get behind your ears!" He added down the hall, earning a look of loathing from the Uchiha before he disappeared into the bathroom.

* * *

 _ **I'm so sorry I didn't reply sooner. I had a really, really weird night. I didn't have my phone for a long time.**_

 **I thought maybe you lost it.**

 _ **No, no, I was just busy. Not in a great way.**_

 **Just glad to hear you're okay.**

 _ **Thank you... I'm so sorry that I worried you. Your night was weird too?**_

 **You have no idea.**

 _ **It's the worst contest to be having.**_

 **I agree.**

 _ **Hopefully your weekend will be better.**_

 **I'm not really holding my breath**

 _ **That's probably a good thing, it doesn't seem healthy**_

 **I don't know how you manage it. You always cheer me up**

 _ **...you stole my line...**_

She stared at the phone with her back to Tenten and Sakura, allowing herself a smile before moving to crawl into her bed.

"No! You, get in the shower. We're going to breakfast." Sakura called from the doorway at the movement from Hinata.

"Oh, let her sleep." Tenten gasped. There was a lot of guilt on Tenten's face and after hugging Hinata hard she had apologized profusely which Hinata found extremely unnecessary. There were a handful of people she felt might be a little to blame for the way her Friday night had gone, and although Hidan and Sasori were extremely high on the list she counted herself as the highest. Perhaps Sasuke could be a close second.

The truth was in the end she should have said no and been done with it.

Feeling the conviction of that sentiment Hinata turned to look at Sakura tiredly. "I can't. I... I am so tired, Sakura. Please."

For a moment the girl hesitated, biting her lip over and over as she stared at her friend, looking small and exhausted in Sasuke's clothes, hair a mane of loose waves around her shoulders.

"...I know you're tired hun, I'm sorry." Sakura went to sit down suddenly and Hinata stared. She had sat on her bed, coincidentally blocking her ability to lay down and fall asleep. Warily she stared at her, hands hanging loose at her sides.

"I will not ask you to go to any more parties, ever." She began, and Hinata sighed, pressing a hand to her forehead as she caught the bargaining tone in her voice. "I just need you to come to this breakfast. It'll be fun. It's Naruto and me and Tenten-"

"Hey, I'm tired too, it's not even seven in the morning, Sakura!"

"- and Shikamaru and Ino and Sai and Choji and... who else is coming, did I invite anyone else?"

Tenten's brown eyes were not amused. "Sasuke, I'm assuming."

Shooting her a look Sakura let her eyes drift over the room after, shrugging her shoulders. "Yeah, him too."

"Sakura." Hinata murmured softly, picking at her fingers tiredly. "I didn't want to stay in his room, why did you leave me there?"

"You were asleep." Sakura sounded surprised. "He...said we should let you rest, that you were really tired."

Tenten and Hinata stared at each other with twin expressions of confusion. "Oh." Hinata began puzzled. "I... didn't know that."

"I thought you went to bed there knowing you were staying." Sakura continued, looking confused too. "Right, Tenten?"

"I wasn't so sure about that, but you were really out of it. We came to the door, I checked on you and you didn't even really wake up." Tenten admitted.

Hinata blinked at them both, trying to remember and finding nothing in her mind. "I think... I fell asleep on the-" she paused, recalling his eyes on her from the doorway, his pencil moving over paper, and the conversation that preceded it.

That meant Sasuke Uchiha had picked her up and put her on his bed, tucked her in even.

"He's so confusing." She whispered, sitting down with a frown beside Sakura.

"Yeah well, come on with us to breakfast and maybe he'll make more sense. He kind of has to be around people he knows. He's an asshat genius otherwise. I remember thinking your cousin was similar." She winked and then her green eyes slid to Tenten. "But you know...he grew on us real fast when we saw him with you."

Blushing briefly Tenten adjusted her ducky pajama sleeves and sniffed. "Fine, I'll change."

Surprised by Tenten's sudden switch of sides Hinata stared at her a moment, contemplating. Last night she had thought the last person in the world she would have wanted to spend any time with in the near future would be Sasuke, but now...

"I guess... he was kind of okay near the end." She admitted, rubbing the confused frown on her face lightly. She had never once turned down a new friend. But then, she had never once slapped anyone before so this was new slightly frightening territory.

"Great. Now here." Sakura threw a towel at her and her bag of toiletries. "Let's go!"

Taking a deep breath Hinata sighed and moved to the door. "I guess, I should return his sweater anyway." She admitted, thinking about cinnamon rolls for breakfast, and tea with plenty of honey.

"Yeah, that's a good idea." Sakura called after her as she closed the door.

Tenten turned to her then, brows raised. "If you're trying to set her up, I'm telling you right now-"

"No." Sakura shook her head, looking disappointed. "I'm not allowed. Naruto's firmly against pushing Sasuke at all."

"So you were going to though." Tenten frowned at her. "Sakura, he's been such a jerk!"

Smiling Sakura shrugged. "That's Sasuke, until you become his friend he's prickly. Just, trust me on this one. It's not like you don't know anything about prickly men." Her eyes flickered over Tenten's ducky pajamas. "Although, if you're planning to get past just knowing about him to knowing him maybe we should get you some lingerie."

A flash of red took over Tenten's face then and scowling she marched to the closet to change. "Listen, if you can get Neji to make a move fine, but until then I'm keeping my ducky pajamas, okay? It's just me and them."

Smiling broadly now Sakura kicked her feet energetically. "Oh, my dear. We're going lingerie shopping after breakfast then." She winked.

* * *

Standing outside of the apartment building Sasuke stared at the phone, at the text that he had just realized came in a few minutes after he sent his last one. Showered and dressed in fresh clothes he was feeling almost human after the chaos of the night before and standing in the chill of the late morning with the attempts of the sun to warm his shoulders he smirked.

 _ **...you stole my line...**_

"There's one. Where are all the other smelly boys?" Ino's voice diverted his thoughts and he looked up, blinking as a crowd of girls walked towards him slowly, bundled up in beanies and scarfs their noses red and on Ino's head a pair of purple earmuffs around her tall ponytail.

Eyeing them a bit warily Sasuke glanced back at the door of his dorm and raised his shoulder in reply, blinking dark eyes as he scanned their faces. He stopped in surprise at the sight of Hinata's at the back, looking pointedly at the ground, only her eyes visible above the giant fluff that was wrapped around her neck several times.

Slowly he drew his eyes to the piercing glare of the brunette standing closest to him and felt his lips twitch, not with amusement but chagrin. Quietly he nodded. "Tenten."

"You're not my favorite person." She replied amiably, raising her chin above her scarf to give him a good view of the downward turn of her mouth as she surveyed him. "I just want you to know that."

"Okay."

"Okay." She snapped back, and beside her Sakura laughed nervously. "Tenten..."

"Good morning!" Naruto's voice interrupted and everyone looked back to see Sai and Choji heading out the door, with Naruto dragging a sleepy looking Shikamaru by the arm towards them.

"Food! I need coffee." Sakura called happily, skipping a few steps to grab Naruto's free arm not being used to haul Shikamaru into the daylight of a Saturday before noon.

As the chatting of several mouths began and laughter echoed Hinata lingered back a bit, watching. The shower had helped dispel some of the wariness from her body but she was the kind of tired that seemed to come from inside, not from using her muscles and bones, tendons and nerves but from exerting energy just _feeling_.

After a few paces as the group headed towards the skytrain station nearby Sasuke slowed, and giving Tenten a wide berth came up beside Hinata, facing forward determinedly.

Blinking hard and instantly aware of him Hinata shoved her hands deeper into her coat pockets, breathing in the warmth of the air filtered through her scarf, feeling the tickle of the fabric on her lashes when she blinked.

"You... left this in my room." He said suddenly, raising a paper bag with handles towards her and Hinata blinked rapidly, hesitating for a moment to take it in her hands. When she finally did she peered inside quickly, recognizing the tangle of lace that was the dress that had been ruined. "Oh." She whispered. "I...I did. Thank you."

After a few more steps she added. "I'm... I'm sorry about last night. I... I truly didn't intend to stay, I thought... I thought Sakura would come get me, or Tenten-"

"They did." Sasuke replied quickly, glancing at her. "You were very tired, they decided to let you sleep. It's fine."

Her hands tugged on the edges of her jacket and he recognized the nervous movement of the night before where she pulled on her skirt as though trying to make it longer, stronger, something to hide behind.

Remembering too the wide eyed bewilderment of her face at the observatory tower he added. "It wasn't any trouble."

Startled that he would add something Hinata's gray eyes flickered to him, meeting his for only a split second before she looked away, puzzled.

"...Oh... I... I doubt that."

Before a breath had passed he sighed. "Well, I didn't mind."

Finding no way to refute that she blinked, brows coming together confusedly before she met Tenten's irritated glare from ahead and with some surprise jumped until she realized it wasn't leveled at her but at Sasuke walking beside her.

"Hey, dobe." Sasuke called suddenly at Naruto, as though sensing incoming danger, moving forward and away from Hinata quickly.

From behind Hinata smiled at Tenten, shaking her head a little. If she told Neji about this new streak of Tenten's perhaps he would relax a little.

Just a little.

* * *

The restaurant was full, or at least it seemed full with all of them in it. They sat at one long table made up of several tables that waitresses had had to push together for them all to fit. Enthusiastically the boys began to order while the girls eyed the food suspiciously, or at least Ino and Sakura did.

"I'm getting eggs and sausages and hashbrowns and french toast." Tenten muttered to herself. "Should I get strawberries and whip cream, Hinata? I mean, do I dare?" It was a rhetorical question but Hinata replied with. "I do hope you get them. I will eat half."

From the other end of the table Ino and Sakura stared at them with a mixture of envy and disbelief, phones in hand to calculate calories. "It's because they run in their sleep." Sakura explained to the blonde after a moment. "No point counting calories when you're in deficit before 6 in the morning."

Beside Sakura sat Naruto giving her a look. "I think you should just eat whatever you want, put that thing away."

"I don't want to have to buy new clothes." Sakura wrinkled her nose at him and then grinned. "But I do appreciate what you just said."

"Bah." He sighed, shaking his head and smooching her on the cheek.

On his other side a very quiet Sasuke gave them a look like they were disgusting, turning back to his coffee and catching Hinata's mildly amused expression on him before she startled and looked back down at her menu.

"What're you getting Hina-chan?" Tenten asked as she mixed too many creamers into her coffee.

"A cinnamon bun!" Sakura and Ino shouted together before Hinata could open her mouth.

Tenten smiled then and rolled her eyes. "Maybe not-?" And glancing over at Hinata's slightly guilty expression she laughed. "Okay, never mind."

"Every time." Shikamaru yawned from the other side of the table.

"Sasuke only ever seems to eat rice balls and tomatoes so if we're going to make fun of someone for their eating habits, lets do him instead. I at least get the cinnamon bun thing." Naruto chortled, knocking Sasuke's elbow with his and making him slosh coffee on the table.

"Oops."

"You shouldn't be allowed out before noon." Sasuke muttered darkly, grabbing napkins to mop up the mess. "Look at you, it's worse than having a child at the table."

From her spot Hinata watched, surprised as Naruto laughed, the banter bouncing back and forth. Feeling the touch of someone's gaze on her she blinked, glancing at Sakura whose green eyes were fixed on her, a sly smile gracing her features.

Feeling suddenly like she had done something wrong Hinata looked back down, hiding behind the thick cover of the menu with her cheeks pink although she wasn't sure why.

* * *

The sun seemed to be determined to try it's best in the sky that day. It stretched attempting to shake off the icicles of winter with illumination yoga in the sky.

Stretching happily in agreement Choji sighed. "Ugh, that was great."

"I think that was it for me for the rest of the day. I'm going back to bed." Shikamaru began and stopped when Choji shook his head. "Nah, dude. We're heading to the grocery store, I have some amazing plans for lunch sandwiches."

"It's eleven." Naruto stared at him. "You're thinking of having lunch still?"

"Three meals a day." Choji winked and flexed his arms. "Keeps ya healthy."

"Hey Hinata, are you coming with us today?" Sakura smiled brightly at her while the others waved good bye to each other and began to disperse. Ino and Sai headed off on their own and soon after Choji was gone, dragging a still reluctant Shikamaru.

"Oh... I'm... I'm so tired, Sakura-chan." Hinata sighed, finally feeling sleepy enough with a full belly that her eyes felt heavy and with the touch of the warm sun on her dark hair she blinked at her in silent pleading.

"Aw... okay." the girl smiled, and Hinata felt her face change mildly in response to how easily she gave in. "Too bad. I'm taking Tenten to get some fun new underwear."

Blushing scarlet Hinata blanched. "Ah... okay... have... fun."

A little pink herself Tenten rolled her eyes bemusedly, "It's just clothes, Hinata."

"Yep." the Hyuuga nodded, eyes down, unwilling to voice the fact that she knew it was likely clothing she was buying with the hope of a certain relative of hers seeing it one day. Clothing was fine. Clothing _for_ her cousin was...

Shaking her head she smiled and waved as they sauntered off. Blinking she turned finding herself with only Naruto and Sasuke who were speaking urgently together rather close, too close to approach.

Naruto's face was in a frown, deep set and unimpressed while Sasuke bit words at him like a fox trying to free itself from a trap by chewing off his paw.

Catching her eyes lingering on them wonderingly Naruto turned to Hinata and smiled brightly, the frown melting like it had never been. "Hinata! Hey, so are you heading back to campus now?"

"...Y-yes. I'm still rather tired." she shrugged lightly, taking a handful of steps back in the direction of the skytrain station they had stopped at to get to the restaurant. It was a short trip, fifteen or twenty minutes at most with the walk back to the dorm and she was looking forward to the silence and the blissful afternoon of sleep before she hunkered down to get homework done before the start of another week.

"Oh I bet- hey, I'm heading to meet my football team for a run at the park near here, so I guess you two are on your own back to campus," He shoved Sasuke forward hard suddenly and the Uchiha shrugged his shoulders to rid himself of the touch before giving him a look that put the devil to shame.

Before Hinata could say anything else Sasuke was striding towards her. "Let's go." His voice although a little wary was light by comparison to his usual tone and Hinata blinked as he walked by her. A little desperate she glanced once more at Naruto, face filled with panic, uncertainty and then resignation as he smiled and waved.

"...w-wait, I'm coming." She mumbled, turning and running after Sasuke quickly, surprised to see him stop and wait patiently until she caught up on the sidewalk.

The walkway was busy in that particular part of town. Lined on one side by skeletal trees sleeping through the winter and lights from Christmas still lining the evergreens that decorated large parts of the garden beds in front of buildings and shops on the right. Together they wove through the river of people, and Hinata realized that for every step he took she had to take two.

"About the book..." Sasuke said suddenly and Hinata glanced at him as they waited for the lights to change so they could cross at the intersection. "Hm?"

"Are you able to meet maybe later today or tomorrow? I've done a lot of bigger sketches and backgrounds and I'm unsure if they're what you were thinking, based on the drafts you sent me of the story." He looked at her then as they climbed the staircase to the skytrain platform. Hinata's eyes widened as she remembered the expanse of paper that had covered his broad slanting desk and several that had been tacked to the walls and pinned to his shelves.

Remembering them made her smile, and nodding she added. "I saw some."

"Right." He nodded back. "The ones in the room."

"They look amazing." She admitted, watching as the train shot into the station in a high pitched wail of speed, ruffling her hair around her face and scarf. "It's exactly what I had in mind."

Sasuke studied her, somehow relieved and surprised. "Oh. Well... good. I thought perhaps they were too realistic."

"Too realistic?" Hinata sounded curious as she blinked at him, stepping onto the train and feeling the jostle of people pushing for a spot. A little breathlessly she stumbled back from an older lady rather aggressively dragging her wheeled cart through to a seat. Quickly Sasuke dragged her back a step by the elbow to avoid getting her toes run over by the dirty wheels and as she turned to look at him he let go sharply, raising his hand as though caught shop lifting. "Sorry." He began and with wide eyes she stared. "I'm not going to slap you!"

"Well, I didn't care to find out."

"...are you joking?" she peered at him, squinting a little past her bangs. "I can't ... I can't tell if you're joking."

"You do pack a punch." He continued, face unchanging although with some effort.

"I do not." Her face was brightening to red and she could feel the heat starting the familiar roast of her ears at her attempt to argue.

"How would you know?" He was nonchalant as he inquired, cocking his head just a little to the right. "I am the only person who could be relied on to comment on the subject."

Gaping a little Hinata stared at him until the corners of his eyes finally crinkled just a bit and his lip twitched, making him bite down on the treacherous appendage. Mouth opening wider she gasped. "You're teasing me!"

Then, as if realizing something she leaned forward to search his face, making him start at the surprising move on her part, despite the pink lighting her cheeks. "At the library yesterday." She blinked several times. "You... you were teasing me then too." It was said with the tone of a question but her eyes were unmoving, too interested in the discovery she had made to realize her intensity.

A little unnerved although mostly just impressed Sasuke allowed himself a full smirk. "Maybe."

"Maybe." She repeated, pulling back to the other side of the pole they were holding on to as the train screamed along it's tracks. Shaking her head a little, hiding her smile beneath the scarf around her neck she sighed. "Maybe."

It didn't matter that her lips were not in full view, he watched as the soft curves of her cheeks turned her eyes to half moons of amusement and was able then to relax in silence for the rest of the trip back.

It was interesting to be moving through a crowd aware of where another person was at all times, watching as she stepped around litter or ducked beneath the crowding canopy of a vendor stall on the train platform as they got out. And yet she didn't say anything and while they left the chaos of the city blocks towards the more restful grounds of the University he wondered if he'd ever had such a walk.

Walks with Naruto and Sakura were really just orations on the go. And any time he was with anyone else, be it Choji, Shikamaru and the others, someone or sometimes all of them continued with their talking as though they had not seen each other in years. He had always wondered if that was normal. If maybe he was strange for wanting to just hear the sound of passing cars, or the shift of the evergreen branches in the cool wind.

In the stillness he was more likely to see something that caught his attention, that sang and demanded permanent capture of itself on his sketchbook pages.

Still wondering this he glanced back in time to see her stop frowning at a branch on a tree above the Konoha University sign that denoted the campus entrance.

"No more climbing." He commented dryly, coming up beside her only to receive a look that was abashed and a little snarky at the same time. "No, look." Pointing with her long pale fingered hand Hinata nodded at the tree. "Is that... a cherry blossom?"

"What the...?" Sasuke breathed beside her, already climbing onto the low retaining wall of the garden that housed the tree, bushes and campus sign. "What is it doing there?"

"I've never seen a cherry blossom mid winter. I thought I must be wrong." Hinata commented, and as she moved to climb up beside him Sasuke grabbed her hand, dragging her up. "It's definitely there, you're not crazy." he muttered. For a moment they were quiet, studying the branch with the miraculous winter blossom. And then a voice interrupted.

"So, I must be missing something." Together the Uchiha and Hyuuga jumped turning to look over their shoulders at a tall dark haired young man in a suit and black coat that looked entirely too expensive for a University campus. "Is this some new thing couples do nowadays?"

Hinata stared, gray eyes eating her face as she noted the black hair and dark eyes, the straight nose and full mouth, even the elegant curve of his jaw was familiar.

But where the features in her mind were largely unimpressed or full on grouchy this man was smiling a little knowingly, his gaze lingering on her then landing with obvious softness on Sasuke standing next to her.

"I didn't know you had a girlfriend, little brother."

Realizing they were still holding hands Hinata and Sasuke let go as though electrified, and Hinata took a step sideways on the retaining wall for good measure, face blazing a firey red beyond her control.

"Ugh." Sasuke sighed, jamming his hands into his pockets with distaste. "What are you doing here?"

His brother didn't seem phased by his tone, smiling brightly at him and then at Hinata. "Just checking in on my darling little brother. Good thing too, it appears."

Extending his hand out he waited until hesitantly Hinata took the offered fingers and stepped down from the retaining wall with his help. "I'm Itachi Uchiha. You... must be Hinata Hyuuga."

* * *

 _ **I didn't forget you darling Flamer, don't worry.**_

 _ **I'm just so tired from staying up writing this that I couldn't think of what to say, because you're giving me so little. So here's a flame I wrote for myself you can use.**_

 _ **Inky, (or just Ink, if you wanna be weird and formal)**_

 _ **I think your writing is lousy and unimaginative and your use of non canon pairings is blasphemous and should be a treasonous act punishable by law.**_

 _ **From,**_

 _ **Flamer Dear.**_

 _ **Okay, so there it is. Just copy and paste it okay. I can work with that. I know you probably don't get what I just said, I was trying to tone down the big words for you but I'm tired, I couldn't come up with a simpler way to say unimaginative or blasphemous. So bite me. Muah.**_

 ** _Much love,_**

 ** _Inky_**


	9. Chapter 9

_**Hello darlings,**_

 _ **So this chapter is thanks to the wonderful Giada Luna who was very helpful in the removal of my writers block.**_

 _ **I had a couple of reviews that were interesting for the last chapter, I replied to some through PM's but also wanted to address a few questions:**_

 ** _Did I change the course of the plot because someone mentioned that Hinata didn't seem to like Sasuke in person as much as on the phone?_**

 ** _Nope. I mean, I could have maybe and perhaps that's why I got stumped for a bit. I think I may have been considering changing the plot but stories don't like that. When they're on the right track already and I try to change something that clearly shouldn't be changed they tend to dig in their heels._**

 ** _Sakura and Naruto were kind of annoying in Chapter 8:_**

 ** _Yes. Yes they were. Do you guys not have those friends? Am I the only one with people who show up and demand you not be introverted when all you wanna do is be under the covers watching anime and reading?_**

 ** _Much love,_**

 ** _Inky_**

* * *

"You are the most awkward thing to ever happen to my life." Sasuke informed him, pulling with a lot more force than he felt he should need to get his brother into the boys dorm.

Itachi was smiling, his eyes lingering on the girl they had left out in the campus court yard, her eyes wide and blinking, pale cheeks a rosy shade that made his hands itch to squeeze.

"I do not agree. You have a room mate that I think is honestly a better contender for that title." Itachi sighed, and finally allowed himself to be unceremoniously thrown into Sasuke's dorm room. Languidly he strode to the bed which was so obviously his brother's- do to the lack of rags and the neatly made lines of the covers. Calmly he flopped onto it, crossing his arms behind his head as he watched Sasuke shut the door and lean his forehead against it.

"I really need you to go."

"You say that every time I visit."

"I mean it every time you visit."

"Which is why I don't listen. It's a rude thing to say. We Uchiha are better than that." His brother waved a hand elegantly through the air before unbuttoning his sleeves and beginning the slow process of rolling the fabric up along the muscled forearms beneath.

"I disagree." His younger brother sighed deeply and turned to look at him with a frown. "Why are you here?"

"You don't answer my emails. You don't have a phone. I get a call from the regional director of Akatsuki about a fight that happened with you and a frat member at a party and I figure, well... since calling isn't an option-" Itachi shrugged and continued lazily, kicking his shoes off and crossing one leg over the other on the bed.

Sasuke's jaw was tightening with his words. "There was no fight. Maybe I should go over there and break his jaw then he can say it was a fight." His tone had none of the lightness that Itachi had anticipated and opening his eyes rapidly he focused with the precision of a hunter on his little brother's face.

"Talk to me, Sasuke."

It wasn't an order, his brother's voice was gentle, and firm, and although he didn't move his seemingly relaxed body from the bed Sasuke's eyes slid over the tense muscles of his shoulders.

Loosening his clenched teeth with a crack of his own jaw Sasuke slammed himself down onto the chair of his drawing desk, switching on the lamp viciously. "I can't."

Outside the quiet of the campus continued, broken more and more by the sound of voices. It was past noon and finally the population of Konoha University was starting to ready themselves to face a Saturday with the painful wince of a bad Friday night hangover. Doors began to open and close around the dorm room and in the muffled sound of other lives Sasuke let his shoulders droop with tiredness. Finally he faced the slanted board of his drawing desk with distaste. In his mind he could see Sasori's smug features, his smirk and the way his lip would split on impact with his fist, the way the blood would snap like a ribbon of silk from between his teeth as his head flew back. He could see it so clearly each hair on Sasori's head moved with the force and his hands itched to draw it.

Instead he clenched them tightly shut in his lap and let out a sigh.

"You're my brother. I don't care about what the fraternity might say. If you're telling me there was no fight, there was none. The email I received was a little hysterical and my understanding was that there was a misunderstanding of some sort and _they_ are saying you over reacted. They haven't accused you of assault or anything." Itachi began slowly watching as Sasuke's eyes narrowed at the word assault.

"How hard would it be to sue the fraternity?" he whispered after a long pause and Itachi worked hard to keep his eyes from widening even the smallest bit.

"I wouldn't feel comfortable doing it without a very good reason but... our legal team is no slouch." He pushed himself up onto his elbows then, his dark hair trailing neatly behind him tied back for the sake of formality. His last meeting before taking the flight out to see his brother had gone later than he would have liked and he didn't particularly enjoy getting changed on planes or airports. Now he was wishing he could be in pajamas. Just talking about the issue was exhausting.

"Sasuke. Am I needing to make some calls?"

"No." His answer was rapid, and swallowing he shook his head, as if clearing thoughts clinging to his cranium with distaste. "I was just wondering."

"You are giving me nothing." Itachi whispered, and looked down at his tie laying rumpled on his torso.

The sigh that followed Sasuke's silence was heavy. "I'm sorry. I can't talk about something that has nothing to do with me. There was no fight." He bit out with disgust. "There should have been but there was none."

With forceful movements he reached into the drawers beside his desk, slamming them closed as he pulled out pencils, and felts, throwing a blank sheet of paper on the board.

"Should have been, hm?" Itachi watched as his hands moved, pinning the paper to the board, pulling out a pencil, sliding it like a knife along skin through the page, sharp concise movements. The mark of a master at work.

For several minutes Sasuke focused without looking up, brow furrowed, pale face lit in arguing tones of the lamp at his desk and the light from the small window behind Itachi's head. Mouth pressed into a thin line he took a breath, studying the image he was putting to paper.

"One day." his little brother muttered. "I'll tell you."

Pulling out the red felt he began to color in the dewy crimson splash of blood from the quickly sketched face of Sasori getting pummeled by a small pale fist wearing a ring on her thumb.

* * *

She woke to the sound of Tenten and Sakura storming into the room and then shutting their giggling and banter to whispers after it was too late. Blearily Hinata opened one pale gray eye to stare through her lashes at them by the door looking sheepishly at her, holding many bags of the type that were lined with discreet tissue paper.

It had always puzzled Hinata that these places did such a thing. Their logo was on the side of the bag, branding it like a cow hide and yet their wares hid behind the pink or red or white tissue paper like a guilty pleasure. Hinata never took the bag home, she just shoved the items into her backpack and prayed it didn't get stolen.

Suddenly the idea of having lost her backpack with lingerie in it and her anonymous friend having it now flashed through her mind and with a whimper of discomfort she pushed herself into the mattress, tummy twisting like a snake within her skin.

"Sorry." Tenten whispered, face guilty as she set her bags on the bed. "I should have assumed you'd be sleeping."

"It's okay." Hinata sighed softly, pushing herself up to a sitting position with some effort. "I have a lot of homework I should be looking at." With a rub at her face she studied the half dozen bags of varying sizes all over Tenten's bed with mildly horrified interest. "...successful trip?"

"Oh, you should have come." Sakura sighed, coming back in from dropping off her bags in her room. "They had these adorable babydolls that you would look amazing in, with push up cups and clasps on the front." She winked. "You know, for easier access."

Flames roared to life around Hinata's entire body and while she roasted she squeezed her eyes shut, holding still and breathing in slow shallow breaths.

"Don't be mean. You know she can't take it." Tenten laughed. "Oh, Hinata. What are you going to do when you get a boyfriend?" she shook her head at the rhetorical question before settling down on the bed beside her.

"I need to get to the library." Hinata murmured suddenly, shoving herself to her feet and heading towards her closet to look for clothing. Rummaging inside she frowned, picking up the sweater and shirt that Sasuke had been kind enough to let her borrow from the floor where she had left it in a rush to get to breakfast in the morning with everyone.

Studying the material for a moment she bit her lip, thinking back on the awkward conversation she had ended the morning with. Sasuke's annoyed expression had very quickly given way to something that seemed along the lines of panic from the brand new widening of his eyes and slow jaw drop as his older brother inquired about Hinata's family.

He had no questions _about_ who they were, so much as _how_ they were. She had not known this, but her father was in business with him seeing as he, naturally, was the heir to Uchiha Corp.

This should not have been surprising, she should have made the connection and in fact had vaguely in the back of her mind when she had first heard of Sasuke as Naruto's room mate and best friend years ago but the world in which her father belonged had never set foot in her world of essay papers and campus dorms.

Until Itachi of course.

"You have to study? Really? Reading break is right around the corner, do you have deadlines before then?" Sakura sounded put out. Ruffling inside her purse she fanned a half dozen chocolate bars like playing cards in her hands. "We were going to make popcorn and veg with you for the rest of the day watching something old." She pouted. "Don't you want chocolate?"

This would have usually been enough to persuade Hinata, chocolate, a Sakura pout and the fact that there was pressure would have been the holy trinity of guilt trips. But she had already given up her morning and with a deep breath she shook her head. "Sorry. I have some ideas for the book, and if I don't get them down while they're fresh I could lose them." She twisted her fingers in front of her nervously. "I'm sorry... I would have loved to stay, but.."

"Oh go." Tenten interrupted with a wave at her. Ninja fast she snatched a chocolate from Sakura's hands, earning a loud cry of protest from the pink haired girl. "Here, take this farewell chocolate. Go get your stuff done." her room mate motioned with her chin brightly. "Rain check."

Smiling at her darling Tenten Hinata nodded, grabbing some clothes to change into and as she packed her bag she folded the sweater and shirt that didn't belong to her carefully before waving as she headed out the door, cell phone in hand. Standing in the hall before heading out she typed out a text as she walked, biting her lip as she thought.

 _ **Do you judge books by their covers?**_

 **I am a hundred percent sure there's a very famous saying regarding this and what** _ **not**_ **to** **do.**

 _ **I know, I was forewarned. I think I may have been judging anyway though, and I'm thinking that, like the quote says, I was wrong.**_

 **I am getting the feeling the book has limbs... possibly even a face?**

 _ **You may be onto something.**_

 **Someone surprised you?**

 _ **I think so. I'm so surprised that I kind of don't believe it.**_

 **Well. You know what you have to do, right?**

 _ **No, what?**_

 **If you don't want to judge a book by it's cover, you have to open it and read the book. Although, I have to admit I am probably the worst person to be saying this.**

 _ **Are you selective with your books?**_

 **Extremely.**

 **Are we still talking about people? Not the square things with pages in them?**

 _ **Yes, haha.**_

 **Just checking.**

 _ **I'm selective too.**_

 **We're critical book people.**

 _ **We're the**_ **other** _ **quote people. The "Always judge a book by it's cover" people.**_

 **Until it stabs you in the back and you have to go back to the original quote.**

 **We need to just change quotes.**

 _ **We need to just change quotes.**_

 _ **Great minds think alike.**_

The knock on the door came as a surprise. Naruto didn't knock, or rather he knocked the door right into the wall so many times they had had to patch the hole he made. And none of their firends who lived on the floor knocked. Often a slightly wary Choji would check when he and Naruto were having a wrestling match to make sure neither of them were actually committing murder.

From the bed Itachi opened an eye, blinking at the door just as Sasuke did, shoving the phone he did not want his brother to see beneath papers on his desk. Their faces were identical in the interest and caution that reflected in their dark eyes and slowly Sasuke stood, just as Itachi sat up, straightening his rumpled dress shirt idly before stretching.

As he opened the door he stopped, shoving his foot hard against the bottom to keep it from being ripped wide by his antagonizing brother because standing there looking owlish and a little more than nervous was Hinata Hyuuga, holding a bundle of clothing folded neatly in her arms.

"Ah... Sasuke, hi... I... I just wanted to return these." She began extending the items to him. Through the four inches of open door Sasuke tried to take the outstretched clothes only to have his brother jump to the door, pulling hard and dislodging Sasuke's attempt to barricade him inside the room.

"Miss Hyuuga!" Itachi's smile was elegant and sweet, gracing his handsome face and making Hinata's cheeks flame with the intensity of his attention as he leaned on Sasuke's head with his elbow. "So nice to see you again."

"...ah.. Hello..."

Shoving him off hard Sasuke let out a hard breath through his nose. "Thanks, Hinata. Itachi." He snapped, trying to shut the door, but his brother pushed his shoulder back, taking his place to lean against the door frame, arms crossed.

"You know, I think I remember seeing you at a corporate function a few years back. You're what, 19 now?"

"I... I'm 23..." Hinata stammered, fingers clenching her bag tightly, eyes flickering from Sasuke's laser sharp glare at his brother to Itachi's interested gaze.

"Oh!" The elder Uchiha nodded. "You're the same age as this bother-er... brother of mine."

"Hilarious." Sasuke sulked, and Hinata bit her lip at his nearly pouting expression. "I have work to do, will you get out of the way, please?" He snapped, and Itachi blinked at him several times, assessing his face before saying nonchalantly. "Okay." And stepping out of the room, closing the door on Sasuke's surprised expression.

Hinata's shoulders rose at the sudden movement and blinking rapidly she stared at the elder Uchiha a moment while he winked at her, pointing at the door which was ripped open two seconds later.

"Itachi-" Sasuke began, his tone deadly.

"Miss Hyuuga, would you be free for lunch tomorrow by any chance? I am leaving in the afternoon but... " Itachi shrugged then, leaning back against the wall with his hands in his pockets looking suddenly boyish despite the suit. "I figure it would be stupid not to try to see you again before I head out of town."

For a moment there was silence as both his brother and Hinata stared, lips parted with an infinite number of flabbergasted words sitting on the tips of their tongues.

"Are you asking her out on a date?" Sasuke's voice was hardly there the feather soft disbelief whispered out of him like the escape of a soul. Itachi turned then, pushing him inside the room by the face. "Scram."

"Me? B-but, I... I'm... I'm I don't know if... I... I.." Hinata gasped finally, wide eyed, long elegant fingers pressed to her lips hard as though trying to contain something inside her mouth.

"Would 2ish be okay?" Itachi pressed. "And I'll bring this guy along, how about? He seems determined to be involved anyway." He added, glancing at Sasuke who was still standing at the door staring at him like he was something crawled from the shower drain.

"I...2 is..fine, I guess, but I'm...I don't..." Hinata began her gray eyes turning to Sasuke, the plea for help there obvious and instinctively he opened his mouth to say something but Itachi clapped his hands together. "Fantastic. Two then. All right, Sasuke. All right. I'm coming." And with a cheery wave he pushed his floundering brother inside and closed the door on the stunned Hyuuga still mouthing like a fish in the hallway.

On either side of the doorway Sasuke and Hinata stood staring at the wood, brows alternatively furrowed and eyes wide.

 _What just happened?_

* * *

"You're going out to lunch with Hinata Hyuuga and this guy?" Naruto's smile was slow and ever expanding, his gaze flicked to Sasuke who had his head in his hands, fingers laced through his hair as though getting a solid grip on it to pull the whole mane out by the roots.

Itachi stared at his sibling for a long moment, lips twitching between a grin and a smirk. "Yes, although I would much rather go without _this guy_."

"You might kill Hinata though." Naruto laughed then, leaning back on his bed before slapping his knee. "You and Hinata Hyuuga on a date. Oh God."

"I can't believe you did that." Sasuke murmured from the confines of his elbows which he was resting with some rather forceful pressure on his knees. "She's... she's not like other girls she's..." he began and stopped, looking up to find Itachi and Naruto looking at him, blinking rapidly with interest, the same calculating watchful expression on both their faces.

Realizing his mistake Sasuke back tracked. "Whatever. Your call. I'm not going."

At this Naruto snorted, standing up. "And he's back to that."

"I'm definitely going." Itachi commented lightly, studying his nails carefully before looking back up and shoving his hand in his pocket. "If you're not going to take a shot, I most certainly am."

"Go easy on her." Naruto chided lightly, patting Itachi on the shoulder as he threw his jacket on. "I don't think she can take the same kind of... um... interest... as most girls you're used to."

"You make me out to be a play boy." Itachi smirked then as the blonde stepped out of the room. "I'm a gentleman."

"Yeah, well. I'd be surprised if that kid's been kissed." Naruto threw back. "By comparison you're the devil." And he closed the door on Itachi's slightly impressed expression. "Wow. I knew there was something about her."

From his place at the edge of the bed Sasuke stared up at him, jaw tight. Itachi gazed back, a slow smirk rising to his lips. "Don't look so sad, little brother. You used to give me the same look when I took a toy away from you when you were little." He murmured, grabbing his suit jacket and throwing it on as well. Outside the sun was sinking fast and he had a hotel to get to, phone interviews to conduct, and a bed to sleep in.

Looking away Sasuke shook his head. "She's shy. Don't touch her right off the bat, if at all, and don't tease her too much she won't recover. And don't keep her out too late, her friends will worry." The words were tumbling out of his mouth, thoughts swirling in his head that he was having an increasingly difficult time wrangling.

With his back to him Itachi sighed, adjusting the collar of his jacket before shoving his cell phone and keys into his pockets. "Well... it would all be much easier for her if you decided to come with and made it less of a date and more of an outing."

"I'm not going on a date with you and Hinata." Sasuke snapped, giving him a look. "What is wrong with you?"

"I'd like to ask you the same question." Itachi laughed lightly. "You obviously would know how to take her out on a date. Why haven't you?"

"I barely know her." Sasuke snapped, watching him open the door and step out. Frustrated he followed him out into the hall, hands clenched at his sides. "I've barely been around her for a week!"

"Pfft." Itachi's scoff was chucked over his shoulders as he strode to the exit, twiddling his fingers over his shoulder at his baby brother. "I've known her for less than a day."

Sasuke found himself staring after him with a frown even after he had disappeared.

* * *

Tenten and Sakura were huddled together on the couch sharing the same blanket their eyes illuminated by the television which was the only source of light in the darkening room. Hinata stopped in the doorway, blinking at them and their hands clenching together, faces twisted into expression of disgust and anxiety at whatever gruesome thing was happening on the screen.

From the wet sucking twisting sounds Hinata's face joined theirs in the ranks of the disturbed. "What are you watching?"

"Old horror movies." Tenten whispered, wincing at the screen. "It was a bad choice." Sakura added. "I can't look away. It's like a train wreck."

"Ugh." Hinata gasped hearing the popping sounds of limbs being pulled from sockets followed by the screams that came with the torture. "Turn that off!"

"Yes." Tenten gasped, reaching forward. "Thank you." Sakura agreed, burying her face in the blanket. "I think neither of us were willing to call it quits for fear of being the wimp." she laughed into the blanket as the agony of the movie was turned off and Hinata switched on the light.

Smiling Hinata shook her head at them.

"How'd studying go?" Tenten asked, grabbing the popcorn bowl and offering it to her as she passed by. Hinata stared at it for a moment and then shook her head, splaying on the bed and grabbing a pillow to place over her face.

"That's your 'I recently talked to Sasuke Uchiha' pose." Tenten remarked with a frown. "Is he being annoying again."

"Surely not." Sakura exclaimed.

From beneath the pillow a muffled sentence tried to escape and Sakura glanced at Tenten who shrugged. "Try again?"

Lifting the pillow a bare inch above her mouth Hinata whispered.

"Itachi Uchiha asked me out on a date."

The words came easy, no stuttering. She stared at the fabric of her pillow pressed nearly to her lashes and wondered at what she had just said. Her homework had fluttered through her mind for hours as she sat at the library, hunched over her laptop, trying again and again to finish assignments, to look over notes, to study for upcoming tests.

But just that sentence had kept rolling around again and again in her mind, mocking her.

Finally Sakura whispered. "You're going to have to say that again, I think."

"Yeah, I didn't get that." Tenten also whispered, and their hushed tones made Hinata drop the pillow back onto her head, closing her eyes.

Drawing in a deep breath she finally sat up, hugging the pillow before raising her tired eyes up to her friends who sat still as though she had just told them she contemplated dropping everything and taking up krumping as a full time job.

"Itachi Uchiha asked me out on a-"

"Jesus, Mary and Joseph!" Tenten gasped, throwing herself to her feet. "I didn't mishear?!"

"AH! Oh my god! I knew he was here visiting Sasuke-but, but, but, when did he ask you? Are you sure? What did he say?" Sakura was flapping her hands like she was trying to fly, her eyes so wide in her face they threatened to fall right out while she spluttered.

Tiredly Hinata stared at their floundering faces, their words coming out like vomit and letting out another breath she pressed her nose into the pillow.

"I can't go on a date with Itachi Uchiha." She gasped finally, interuptting their pandemonium. "Help me."

"What? Wait, okay, no start at the beginning!" Sakura was scrambling over to her, grabbing her by the shoulders and giving her a little shake. "Start from when you left this dorm. Start at genesis!"

So with a nervous rub to her face Hinata did and as the words left her mouth she realized, she had already agreed to go.

* * *

 _ **I really thought I had got better at the not so nice thing and I am realizing I have not.**_

 **I'm guessing it's a work in progress.**

 _ **Or maybe I just...suck at not being nice.**_

 **You know, maybe that's not such a bad thing. Remember I mentioned I am not great at the being nice thing myself?**

 _ **Right, and it wasn't working for you.**_

 **Yes.**

 _ **Can we switch please?**_

 **Like in that awful movie about the mother and daughter who switch bodies?**

 _ **Freaky Friday.**_

 **That one. Knucklehead room mate and his girlfriend made me watch that once. I don't even know how it ends, I left.**

 _ **Yes... only just the not nice and nice switch. I don't want to be a boy.**_

 **How do you know I'm a boy?**

 _ **...aren't you?**_

 **Yes.**

 _ **Okay, good.**_

 **Good why?**

 **Hello?**

 **Hey?**

 _ **No reason.**_

 **No reason at all?**

 _ **Nope.**_

She showed up early, her face tense and pale and her hands tight at her sides. He stared.

Usually knocks on his door from girls had been pretty generic. There were the ones that knocked a little drunk with their friends and asked him out, in a group. Like he would consider dating them all at once or something.

And then there were the more serious ones who came alone and left their number.

There were occasionally the ones that came with a letter and left it for him without saying much.

He had never had so many interactions at his door with a girl that didn't follow a similar pattern- besides perhaps Sakura who flipped and flopped between liking him and liking Naruto for a larger part of their lives. It was so routine he hardly noticed it. Like Naruto's mess on his side of the room or the way Itachi smiled at him knowingly all the time.

This however was new.

"I... I can't... I can't go on a date with your brother." She blinked rapidly at him then. It was 1 pm and he was dressed to go out to the library in search of some of the books at the back of one of his kidnapped journals. Bag on his shoulder he stared at her some more and she flushed scarlet. "I... I really can't."

Shifting uncomfortably Sasuke sighed, searching her face until she looked down, her bags coming like a curtain between them. "I'm so sorry I didn't... say that yesterday, but I.. I don't even have his number to tell him and-" And he was her father's business associate, he was the heir to a company her family had close ties with. She couldn't be rude, she should have said no. Now she was stuck trying to figure out how to minimize the damage and at the same time not have her cousin who was arriving back on campus that afternoon from finding out where she was.

Needless to say, Hinata Hyuuga was sweating a lot.

Biting her lip she fiddled with her bangs, her fingers dancing through the black, drawing his eyes like always to the elegant curve of the joints within her fingers.

Glancing outside he realized he was under dressed. Unlike him she was ready for another smack at winter. Her scarf rose high and fluffy in a teal blue that highlighted the paleness of her gaze. Her hair was down like a blanket around her shoulders and from where stood he could tell she had a minimum of three layers beneath the canvas jacket she had on top, the edges of several sweater sleeves peeking out around her tightly clenched hands.

The forecast was calling for snow, despite the original belief that the spring sun was back. On the west coast the weather liked to play a nice game of menopause to keep everyone on their toes for months. It would be a while before he saw his brother again, probably not until t-shirts and shorts were acceptable to wear, and Itachi _had_ originally said Sasuke should be there.

"It's a little late to cancel." Sasuke began slowly and watched as she looked up sharply, breath hitching in her chest. "It's fine, I could care less if you stood him up, but... somehow I doubt you're the type."

Blinking her gray eyes at him she pressed her lips into a thin line and letting out a deep breath she whispered. "I'm really bad at not being nice."

For a moment he studied her, the way she said the words, the phrasing and her pained expression. At the back of his mind a whisper breezed with possibility.

"...I've...noticed." He finally replied, eyes unwavering from her own. "He wanted me...to come with, so perhaps if I'm there-"

Eyes growing bigger still she let out a deep breath again, like climbing back onto solid ground having hung at the edge of a cliff. "Oh... please. I know that would be so very unpleasant... but... but I don't want to... um. I don't want to just... not be here when he-"

"He'd be fine." Sasuke shrugged, turning around to scribble a note on a piece of paper at his desk before grabbing his jacket and scarf and tacking it to his door. "But it's okay. I'll come."

"Thank you. Sasuke. Thank you so much." For a moment her hands fluttered near him as though wanting to touch somehow and with a snap of her arms she withdrew them to her chest , burying them into her scarf.

"I'm just heading to the library." He mumbled, nodding at the note that told Itachi where he would be.

"Oh... me too, I have so much stuff for tomorrow. Are we still able to meet? I finished the final part and I am editing it...again, for the hundredth time. I think it's more concise but I wanted to see if you could find any errors or inconsistencies I'm missing, if that's okay?"

"Okay." Sasuke allowed, opening the door for her to exit the dorm. "I have class until 1 but after that?"

"That's perfect." Nodding, and suddenly looking less like she had been told she had cancer Hinata smiled looking up at the closeness of the gray sky, it's oppressive feel heavy overhead. The touch of winter had turned into a groping grab and the wind whistled by with a bite that made her hunker down deeper into her jacket and scarf, hands shoved deep into her pockets.

"You think he will be able to find us?" She asked softly as they started towards the library together. Sasuke glanced at her and nodded. "Itachi is a little exceptional at pretty much everything."

Blinking mildly at him over her scarf he watched as her eyes crested with a smile. "I guess it's all Uchiha's then that are like that."

Surprised not by what she had said but by the heat rising to his face Sasuke turned away, popping the collar of his jacket with hands that fumbled uncharacteristically for a moment.

"I...suppose." He mumbled, somehow embarrassed by his reply, even as she let out a little laugh of amusement all the same.

* * *

"Those, I must admit are beautiful, little brother." Itachi commented. He called him little brother because it drove him crazy for so long. In high school someone had overheard him, probably Naruto now that he thought about it but he couldn't remember for sure. And after that everyone had called him little brother for months until some smart ass had decided to tease him on a bad day.

He had a suspension for a few days after he smacked the boy around until he took it back and officially exclaimed that he was Sasuke, not little brother. But it was worth it.

Beating Itachi up however was not an option so he dealt with it, until he really didn't notice anymore.

Hinata however, noticed.

Sitting across the table at the Italian restaurant from the two brothers she blinked over the edge of the sketch that Sasuke had offered her to look at. A leather folder sat at the edge of the table on the other side of the bread sticks that the waitress kept refilling unnecessarily. Her smile wavered between Sasuke and Itachi and Hinata found herself squinting at her more and more.

She might even say she was starting to dislike her.

"I am good at what I do, I don't need you to admit it." Sasuke threw back irritably, taking the watercolor painting of the woodland that Itachi had been looking at. There was a complexity to the picture that gave the feeling of depth, of trees unseen and shadows clustered together. But at the same time the lines were clean and little eyes would be able to understand what they were looking at easily.

"You should get it published, or at least bound. It would be good for you to have." Itachi smiled then at his brother, pinching his cheek hard and causing him to slap his hand away. "You know, for when you have your own babies."

Hinata pulled the sketch she had been looking up higher so as to avoid having to make eye contact with either of them, and to buffer some of the glare Sasuke was shooting at his brother.

They had fallen for the trap, evidently. Itachi was amused by their awkwardness or he just enjoyed making people squirm because most of his comments through the lunch had been about dating and it wasn't him dating Hinata, no.

More than once Sasuke had considered leaving, but upon seeing her pink face and wide eyes he'd push himself harder into the restaurant bench, hoping he could stay tethered there for a bit longer.

Their meals had long been finished and although Hinata had eaten a large portion of her vegetarian lasagna sat next to her ignored while she thumbed through his sketches.

"What? You're telling me you're not planning on having kids?" Itachi stared at him for a long time then, his voice soft. "I sure hope that's not true, little brother."

Frowning at him Sasuke made a face as if to say "What the heck are you talking about?" although he didn't reply.

"We're the last in the family." Itachi shrugged. "We need to really expand our blood line."

"Show me how it's done then." Sasuke muttered. "You don't even have a girlfriend."

"True." Itachi sighed and turning his gaze to the very quiet Hyuuga he added with force. "Perhaps I will remedy that."

Gray eyes shot up from the page in her hand to the twin Uchiha eyes looking at her, one apologetic the other offering an amused wink at her pink face.

"Ugh, Itachi leave her alone." It was the first time he defended her outright, instead of re-directing the conversation and Itachi turned to him with raised eyebrows, as did Hinata, surprised.

"Well, my job here is done." Itachi smiled brightly, grabbing his suit jacket. "I have a plane to catch. Miss Hyuuga, thank you for joining us. Like my little bother just said, I am not exactly graced with the presence of a beautiful young lady often." He smiled as she stuttered out a thank you mixed with denials about his compliment.

Brotherly, and familiar like Neji he placed a hand on her head, stopping the flow of words in one touch. "I'll be seeing you around I'm sure. Sit, take your time. I'll handle the bill. Love you, Sasuke." He added with emphasis and Sasuke sighed, giving him a tired bored look before muttering. "Love you, Nii-san." It obviously hurt to say the words, but they escaped none the less. Grinning Itachi waved.

As he walked away Hinata turned back to the exhausted looking boy in front of her, a little smile now gracing her features where before she had been flaming with nothing but a grimace to combat the burn. "...he...he's very nice." she offered and Sasuke scoffed gently. "Yes well... he has his moments." Sighing he pushed himself to stand, grabbing his jacket. "I'll just use the washroom and we can go?"

"Okay." she nodded then, sitting back calmly. Like a spell Itachi's touch on her head had dispersed any of her anxiety, his eyes had been knowing although she wasn't sure of what and unaffected. Perhaps she had misunderstood the original invite? Whatever had happened it seemed he had been teasing. She could handle teasing... better than a real date anyway.

With pale fingers she began to gather the sketches Sasuke had been sharing with his brother, stacking them together and placing them carefully into the folder only to pause at the sight of a sketch laying within the folds of leather.

Blinking rapidly she turned her head to the side, studying the smooth strokes of pencil across the white of the page, recognizing the tired curls of her own dark hair and the sleepy hang of her head against her folded arms. Eyes widening she remembered Sasuke's dark eyes on her in his room, his nervous hands as he slid back to his place by the door, the way he had studied her and seemed to see her without seeing.

In his sketch she seemed small, the sleeves of the sweater consuming her fingers, the edge at the bottom coming nearly to her knees, her socked feet round and adorably stacked on top of each other.

But it was her face she was curious about, her lashes long, her nose tiny, her mouth...

Touching her lips idly she wondered if her mouth actually looked like that. She had always found her mouth to be rather ordinary.

A buzz made her jump and startled she looked down at her pocket, rummaging inside until she pulled out her cell phone.

 _ **Do you have siblings?**_

Surprised she cocked her head a little, smiling and moved to reply, glancing up in time to see Sasuke standing in front of her, hand in his pocket dark eyes staring.

"Ready to go?" She asked softly, replying to the text and moving to gather the rest of the sketches.

"...yes." He said it gently, almost a breath and puzzled she looked up at him, blinking at his startled face. "Sasuke? What's wrong?"

In his pocket he felt the vibration of the phone, his eyes fell back to the black device she had put on the table, her fingers holding it with familiarity, her eyes had been smiling as she looked at the screen.

"Is..." He began slowly, moving to pick up the phone and then stopping abruptly, like he had just realized he was going to grab a hot coal. "Is tomorrow still okay to meet?"

"Yes, after your classes right?" Hinata continued, handing him the rest of the sketches. He took them numbly, watching her take the phone, _his_ phone, like it belonged to her, glancing at the screen before stuffing it in her pocket.

He realized after a moment she had asked him something and looked up at her face again, unable to do anything but close and open his eyes, studying her face. Abruptly he put his sketches back down on the table.

"Sasuke?" Worriedly her hand fluttered at his arm, not quite touching on the fabric of his sleeve. "Are you...?"

"One...one sec, I forgot to..." he drifted off, stumbling back a handful of steps and Hinata watched, puzzled as he disappeared around a corner.

From the shadow of the hall leading to the bathrooms he stood, his hand wrapped tightly around the cell phone in his pocket, so hard he was surprised not to hear a crack as he pulled it out.

An answer to his text glowed in the message box, and opening it he stared, unwilling to believe what his eyes were telling him.

 **Yes, I have a sister and a brother- or rather he's my cousin. But he's my Nii-san, I am lucky to have him.**

What had Naruto said?

 _"Careful with her cousin by the way! He packs a punch and he is way over protective!"_

In his hand his phone buzzed again, and he stared feeling as the blood in his veins slowed to a crawl.

 **Actually my cousin is finally back today, and he's the one that will get your stuff back to you. He can be a little bit over protective sometimes.**

Swallowing the knot in his throat he peered past the corner, eyes trained on the Hyuuga still waiting for him at the table, leaning calmly against it with her hands on a phone.

On his phone.

The white device in his hand buzzed again and pulling back into the shadows he stared.

 **Do you have any siblings?**

How could this possibly be happening? He stared at the small brick shaped thing in his hand, at the white cover and the ying and yang symbol that had been sketched onto the back along with the symbol in kanji for peace.

This was Hinata's phone.

At a 100 miles an hour memories fluttered through his mind.

 _"I'm just surprised. I like Rilke a lot. You don't seem like a poetry kind of person and he's kind of obscure."_

 _"I'm so sorry I didn't reply sooner, I had a really really weird night. I didn't have the phone for a long time."_

 _"I'm really bad at not being nice."_

His heart was trying to burrow out through his sternum. Hand on his chest for a moment he focused on breathing, staring at the cell phone, mind wrapping slowly around the mess that had so unceremoniously been dropped on his lap.

Biting his lip hard he began to type.

 _ **I have one brother.**_

Nervously now, with hands that were sweaty and breath refusing to fill his lungs he peered around the corner watching her start as the message arrived.

 _ **I met someone's older brother today and I was kind of happy about it. I guess without meaning to I'm doing what you said, and reading the book.**_

Carefully he stepped back out, walking towards her then watching as she shoved the phone into her pocket and smiled as he approached. "You okay?"

"Yes.." He nodded slowly, taking the folder full of sketches she offered. "Just, tired still from... Friday."

Face closing like a door Hinata turned away and started towards the exit. "Me too." She mumbled letting out a breath that was a combination of too many emotions for him to decipher.

Stepping out into the quickly darkening evening he paused startled to see the puffs of white cotton snow drifting slow and lazy from the heavens. Beside him Hinata drew in a breath, letting it out slow and easy through her lips, setting the air before her face into a foggy storm before she smiled wide again.

"Winter is just not done yet." She sighed. "I guess it's okay, since the snow is so pretty."

She turned then to find him watching her instead of the drifting ice, black eyes a mosaic of things she couldn't read. Frowning a little she stared back. "Sasuke... are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah." He nodded then, turning to frown at the ground at his feet quickly gathering the falling ice in scattered patterns too complicated to trace. "I'm fine. Let's go."

"Okay." She sounded hesitant as she followed behind him, catching up to walk by his side with a little trot. With a furtive glance and a breath to steady herself she whispered. "Did... I do something wrong?"

"What?" He turned, and instantly regretted his irritated tone. Her eyes widened and blinking at him she pushed her nose into her scarf, waiting.

"No... why would you think that?" His voice came out thin as he reigned in his confusion and frustration. Did he always sound so angry? What the hell was wrong with him?

 _I don't want to talk to him again, but I have to. He doesn't want to work with me, but we don't really have a choice._

"...I...I'm not sure." She was quiet, stepping around the passersby carefully to try to stay by his side. "I'm sorry."

"Can you hear me out, for a second?" He murmured softly then, catching her elbow and surprising her as he pulled the startled limb over his arm, looping them together, making it harder for them to be separated against the river of bodies coming at them from up ahead. "Do me a huge favor and assume, for the foreseeable future that you don't have to apologize to me."

She looked like he had told her he liked eating puppies for breakfast. "What?"

"Just... could you do that for me?" Maybe it was the lack of sleep. Maybe that was making this whole situation seem impossible to digest. He went backwards, trying to remember the first moment of contact with the crayons and as the texts began to float blurry in his mind he almost smirked, picturing her pink face as she took the pictures of his sketchbook and the threatening colors on his tree.

"...I... I'm.." Hinata turned away, trying to take in the lights at the intersection as they as they crossed, the feel of the snow swirling through the air around them, coating her hair and landing on her nose. The feel of his arm twisted around hers.

"I'm...I tend... I tend to apologize a lot, I'm sorry if I-" and she paused, screwing her eyes shut with a soft sound that might have been a tiny infant growl within her throat. "I can't- it's habit!" she gasped. "I'll try."

"It's not because you annoy me." He replied then and their steps echoed in the stairwell as they headed up to the skytrain station, his arm still holding on to hers. "You just don't have to be sorry. You rarely do anything to merit an apology."

Watching him Hinata breathed, smelling the chaos of the city, the bite of the snow and the wine he had had with lunch on his breath, coming out in puffs of cold from between his lips. His eyes were pointed elsewhere, and it was easier to look at him then. Questions rattled around in her head as they reached the top landing and wandered onto the platform.

"I don't know if I agree." She murmured gently, pulling her arm from his and facing him curiously, trying to decipher what had happened to cause this conversation.

His smirk and the eyes that looked back at her were different, interested, searching. "You wouldn't." he admitted.

Hinata blinked back at him, surprised.

It might have been Ino, or Tenten standing there. Even Neji would have said what he had just stated, with confidence and familiarity.

Slowly she smiled back.

 _He's my friend._

As they climbed onto the skytrain together she made a mental note to text her anonymous friend.

 _ **I think the book I misjudged is a lot better than I thought it was.**_

 **I really hope you're right.**

* * *

 **Leave me some love, ne!**

 **Inky**


	10. Chapter 10

**_A Poem for My Darling Flamer  
Even if you frown_**

 ** _I will hang upside down_**

 ** _And see your grin despite fighting_**

 ** _Your tiny mind_**

 ** _is no problem of mine_**

 ** _I find you endearing still darling_**

 ** _And when you cry_**

 ** _That I should die_**

 ** _I hear only words of joy_**

 ** _Because for some reason, dear_**

 ** _You're always here!  
_**

 ** _Just admit it, you love me, I know!_**

* * *

 ** _To the reviewer who commented on Itachi being sex on legs. Yes. SO MUCH YES._**

 ** _Also, I was either a genius or anticlimactic concerning my last chapter- well the thing is that wasn't the climax so... it would have been pretty off putting if I made it climactic. There's a few more chapters left before that. Maybe even another moment of violence (le gasp!)_**

 ** _DAngel7: I snuck it in there good ;) I kind of wanted it to be as subtle as it was for Hinata, ya know cuz she didn't notice it. I dunno, it just did it's thing. But yeah, I thought he might freak out but he didn't! Sasuke surprises me all the time._**

 ** _This chapter is still pretty chill, so for those of you searching for some drama there's not much, sorry. I like fluff, it just happened this way. It's also a little short, but that's because there's more coming pretty soon. I AM STILL WORKING ON ALL THE OTHER fics. just this one has been doing some down and dirty cage fighting in my head to get writing time, the others are nursing bruises. I will finish this and I think switch my attention to Switch-a-Roo and then hopefully. HOPEFULLY, Meet Cute and Into the Black simultaneously._**

 ** _To Hime-23: hola querida, no hablo portugues pero te entiendo por que hablo un poco de espanol. Me da mucho gusto que te agrada mi fic. muchas gracias por tus commentarios me haces sonreir. espero que te encuentres bien._**

 ** _Con mucho amor,_**

 ** _Tinta_**

 ** _Helo Belo: You're adorable and I have this picture of you in chibi form in my head, like small enough to put in my pocket. You sent me this review somewhere about your mom being amazing and the idea of being even remotely like a person as kick ass as her made me blush. I have lost complete track over what reviews I have replied to though, lack of sleep has this way of ruining my cognitive ability. I'm working on it._**

 ** _Much love_**

 ** _Inky_**

* * *

When she went into her dorm she waved at the door, one little shake of her paw-like hand covered in her bright purple mittens and he felt himself smile, despite his best intentions not to nodding as she disappeared inside.

The snow was coming down with a vengeance that he had thought was over for the winter, but it appeared, as per usual that the weather was playing a game of "just kidding" with the land and already there was a nice thick layer of powder at his feet.

It was falling as thickly as his thoughts, all tumbling to the same place in his mind, as his heart began to race and the panic began to take hold.

 _She's the girl._

He walked to his dorm room, held on to the handle as if to go in and let go, stepping back into the cold, right back the way he had come, towards her dorm room.

 _She's..._ _ **the**_ _girl._

And at the sight of the girls dorm with the lights lit along it's smooth face he paused, his chest constricting his breathing like it wasn't sure what the hell his lungs were doing in the cavity of his ribs.

 _ **She's**_ _the girl._

And he turned right around, marching back the way he had just come, breath leaving puffs like a train through mountains before his face as his breathing took on a frightened anxious pace.

For days he had been wondering, startled to realize that whoever this person was he was starting to care about them, not just care. He was worried. On Friday after the silence that had replied to his messages he had sat in his best friend's bed watching as the girl across the room from him slept, safe for the moment. But he had been worried about the other one, the one that he felt he understood instinctively, her writing speaking to him in ways he had not thought he could be spoken to.

Her reply to his texts the next morning had lifted a weight from his shoulders and he had unceremoniously begun to process of ignoring his attraction, undeniable as it was to Hinata Hyuuga who, judging from the slap to the face that he had received, hated him. Or at least disliked him more strongly than say...everyone else.

But no.

No, no, no they were the same girl.

The. Same. Girl.

At the sight of his dorm he turned again, terrified of meeting Naruto inside the room. His sky blue eyes would see the panic, would linger on the stiffness of his shoulders and the tightness in his chest. Forget the fact that he was practically hyperventilating.

He turned back, making a dark track through the white cotton of the snow cover on the cobblestone of the campus paths, tracing his already wandered trek from her dorm to his like a scar in the landscape.

"Holy god." He whispered, his dark eyes staring at the windows of the girls dorm and wondering which one was hers. She had fascinated him, this creature that he had had no face to sketch. He had been scared before knowing what she was, who she was. He had been scared of continuing the conversation through the anonymity of texts and yet the addiction to someone not caring who _he_ was had driven him on.

Realization dawned as he remembered his advice to her until he was almost laughing, a hand pressed to his mouth to keep the sound that he was sure would ring more hysterical than amused from leaving his lips. He had encouraged her to slap him. Gentle, anxious Hinata Hyuuga had lost it on him and he had deserved it. He had brought on his own demise.

Everything had been turned upside down.

"...what the hell are you doing?"

The sun had set, or perhaps the clouds that were bringing the perpetual fall of snow were hiding it but the darkness had begun to loom and as a result the lamp posts dotting the campus had begun to light, illuminating in spheres of warm yellow light the passing tendrils of ice that fell sleepily from above.

Standing in the halo of one was Naruto, hands in his pockets and scarf tied high at his neck, blue eyes puzzled. "You look insane. Why aren't you inside?"

Sasuke stared at him, just blinking like the person he was speaking to was a mirage he would disappear if he just stood there and closed his eyes over and and over to erase the shape in the stillness.

"Hello?" Naruto frowned at him. "What's wrong? You're panting."

Sasuke pressed a hand to his chest and looked down, watching as the black of his coat lifted and dropped rapidly beneath his palm.

It was terror, he was experiencing terror because...

Because the girl he had been trying not to be attracted to was the one he had been falling for on the phone. Because now that they were one thing in his head he had absolutely no choice.

Because now, standing there watching the snowflakes drift around him he realized why they called it "falling".

Falling in love.

The thing was, if you fell alone, did you suddenly smack to a stop? He had a bad feeling he knew exactly how much that would hurt.

Naruto's eyes watched as emotions flickered over Sasuke's face, his dark eyes rising from his chest to his friend's and slowly the blonde felt his own expression soften.

"Aw... shit." He sighed and rubbed the back of his head hard, squinting at him tiredly. "You just realized didn't you?"

Startled Sasuke stared at him, breathing in the freezing air like needles through his throat. "What?"

"You just realized you're done for. I know that look." The blonde continued shrugging with a sort of resigned smirk as he shoved his hands back into his coat pockets.

Sasuke stared, trying to understand as Naruto walked over to him, giving him a light shove with his shoulder that sent him back a step, still dumbfounded.

"You've the face of a man who just figured out his heart got ripped out of his chest." Smirking still with blue eyes crinkled with genuine mirth he sighed. "It's both hideous and exhilarating huh?"

Trying to follow Sasuke looked on, waiting. If Naruto could say it then it was true. If he could put words to it, then he could perhaps accept his fate, swallow the pride that came with his last name and maybe even... maybe even...

"So, what are you going to do now that you know you love Hinata Hyuuga?" Naruto cocked his head, watching the slow shock like melting ice caps on Sasuke's face.

"Love?" He finally choked out, some of the frantic panic overcoming his mute act and letting the word spill out. He was mostly in a mild form of hysteria because the word fit, things like "interested in" "attracted to" and "like" sounded about as sturdy as fog, as resilient as whipped cream. They had nothing in common with the agony in his chest.

"Pfft." Naruto snorted, giving his shoulder a shake. "You're Sasuke Uchiha." He shook his head and started into the dorm room. "It's all or nothing with you. Don't be stupid."

Wide eyed now and feeling a queer sort of sickness he followed after the blonde, words tumbling in his mouth that he didn't say. None of them were right, there was no retort.

It was all or nothing for him. Naruto was right. It had always been all or nothing for him.

He wasn't going to be stupid.

* * *

"Where did she go then?"

The Hyuuga eyes that were staring at her were so different from the ones she lived with. For one thing, Hinata's gaze was framed by long lashes that she honestly envied and when she looked at you with distaste it reminded her a little of kittens wrinkling their nose at someone taking their milk away.

That was not Neji Hyuuga. Pale gray eyes of the same type gave Tenten a look and unlike the kitten that Hinata conveyed a tiger glared from his face. He dominated the room with the quiet power in his body, broad shouldered and chiseled from stone he seemed unmovable. There were not a lot of things that made Tenten growl with frustration or feel even vaguely intimidated but Neji was one of them.

Maybe even the only one.

Beside her Sakura laughed nervously, green eyes crescents to keep the lie from showing. "She just said she was going out to lunch, she should be back soon. I mean it's almost dinner time. Although it was a late lunch, and I think she's probably just working on homework too. It's been hard to keep tabs on her since she hasn't had a phone. But she's safe I'm sure, it's not like she would do anything you wouldn't approve off, you know. She's Hinata after all. Hahaha." The rambles kept pouring out of her from her place on the couch, a painful word vomit that made Neji frown. Tenten slid her brown eyes towards her, brows raised.

"Sakura." She began, trying to get her to tone it down, but it was too late.

"Whatever you're hiding for her, I'll figure it out." He wasn't talking to Sakura now though, his gray gaze was fixated on Tenten, jaw tight. "You know I will."

Sniffing slightly Tenten raised her chin at him. "She's a grown woman, she went out to lunch and she will be back shortly. Sit your butt and make yourself comfortable." She motioned to the two empty beds. "Want a snack?"

Happy to have something to throw at him she chucked an apple over her shoulder, it landed almost exactly in his open palm. He still could not figure out how she did that.

"Tenten." His warning tone was low and even Sakura buried her face against her raised knees on the couch. She had always carried a torch for Sasuke and Naruto so when Neji Hyuuga had showed up with his pale eyed adorable cousin she had only agreed he was good looking and gone about her merry way.

But even still, when he looked at Tenten with that smoldering "Stop being silly." expression and used the depth of his baritone voice to sound impatient it still made her toes curl tightly.

Feeling awful she scrambled to her feet.

"How did your trip go though?" Sakura threw in before Tenten could reply scathingly to his patronizing tone. "Was it for fun or-?"

"Business, for my Uncle. He has a lot of questions for Hinata, he's never not had contact with her for this long. Which is why I am rather anxious to-"

"I'm back!" Hinata's voice called cheerily from the entrance, the door flinging open and when she stepped into the room her face, already smiling burst into summer time sunshine. "Nii-san!"

It wasn't like Neji, but it was like Hinata so he tolerated it when she dumped her bag on the floor and slammed into him in a hug. "You're back! Hi!"

"Where were you?" He chided, and even from across the room Sakura and Tenten sighed as his grumpy expression softened and he squeezed Hinata back hard. "I thought you'd be here."

"Oh! I-I thought so too, lunch went later than I thought. I had a sort of... study lunch thing... for a project." Hinata's grin was contagious, Sakura was blinking in surprise, glancing at Tenten curiously. Leaving the house the little Hyuuga had looked like she was walking down the length of death row. They had expected a gloomy return but this was practically jovial.

"Hm." Neji commented a little sarcastically. "I guess studies do come before me."

"Never!" Hinata wrinkled her nose. "I rushed here, I promise."

Smiling at her exaggerated frown he extended his hand. "I need to get your cell phone back. Your father is rather anxious that he can't get a hold of you."

"Oh." Hinata shifted suddenly, her face losing some of it's vibrancy. "Ah... sure. Let me just text." She mumbled, rummaging in her bag on the floor. "I'm... sure whoever has it will be anxious to get their things back. I've been limping along without my stuff." She murmured, pulling out the black cell phone.

While she typed Tenten eyed Neji with narrowed eyes, opening her mouth to ask something mundane. Sakura however cut in with. "So, Neji... got a girlfriend yet?"

"What?" He blinked at the pink haired girl, brow scrunching in confusion.

"Just figured you would. It's been a while since I last talked to you." Sakura continued, ignoring the lasers coming from Tenten's eyes boring into her head. "You'd think you would. What's up with that? Waiting for someone special?"

Neji frowned full out then, staring at her and then turning to Tenten who shrugged her shoulders. "Sakura is a gossip. What can I say?"

"Hey!"

"Oh..." Hinata sighed, frowning at the cell. "Um... he says he can't meet today."

"Well tough." Neji grumbled, reaching for the phone. "I can meet him wherever."

"I...I said that. He just says he can't but that he will let me know when he's free." Slowly Hinata pressed the phone to her chest, negating his access. "I...I don't want to push."

Neji stared at her a moment then. "Hinata."

"If he can't- he can't."

"He was being annoying last week demanding you meet with him and now- does he know it will be me coming by? See, I knew there was something fishy..." He began, tone getting steadily less pleased as the words tumbled out of him.

"It's not like that. He doesn't care it's you, but he can't today." Hinata's cheeks reddened as she grew more flustered. "It's okay though. I'll tell you as soon as it's set up. You're not leaving again right? So probably tomorrow."

"Hinata, just give me the phone." Neji followed her as she walked around to her bed and growing more and more red Hinata shifted uncomfortably on the other side of the room, eyes flickering to Tenten and Sakura who were watching this exchange with confusion.

Seeing the panic on her face for a moment Sakura opened her mouth and blurt out. "Tenten don't you have a date tonight?"

It was surprising how quickly Neji Hyuuga straightened and turned around. Tenten stared slack jawed at the fibbing Sakura first and then with growing surprise turned to Neji who was studying them with sudden interest.

"...I..." Tenten began slowly, trying to think. A slow smile was crawling over Sakura's mouth at Neji's suddenly placid pale face. "With what's his name...?" She pressed, as though trying to remember.

Floundering Tenten stared at her. Behind them both Hinata was beet red, trying to think of a way to get out of showing Neji her phone and feeling frantic she gasped. "That's why you got all that lingerie right?"

The moment her little voice whispered out she slammed her hand over her mouth and stared at Tenten who was blinking at everyone, eyebrows raised very high, cheeks just the barest pink. Neji shifted as though he had been shoved, gray eyes magnetized to Tenten's face.

Slowly she stood, licking her lips in the silence as she adjusted her t-shirt. "All right. So everyone's gone _crazy_. I'm going out until some form of sanity returns." Brow furrowed she moved towards the door, grabbing her shoes and jacket as she went.

"Wait a second." Neji was suddenly after her, following in hot pursuit. "Tenten." And then they were out in the hallway while Sakura and Hinata stared at each other, Hinata's ears blazing so hard she could feel the sweat start to slide down the side of her neck.

"...He just went after Tenten." Sakura whispered, green eyes glued to the door.

Hinata blinked, if only to make sure her eyeballs didn't shrivel to raisins. "H-he did."

"Good call on the lingerie." her friend grinned wickedly then. "I did not know you had that in you!"

"Me neither." And with a flop Hinata slammed onto her bed, exhausted, sneakily shoving the cell phone between the mattress and the box spring in case her cousin came back.

* * *

There was no way he could give her the phone back. He was staring at it now and wondering if it would be theft if he just disappeared with it into the night.

 _ **My cousin is back and would like to meet with you to get my things back, if that's possible tonight.**_

 _ **But no pressure.**_

Dazedly he had lain in bed, watching the snow flurries outside his window lit against the backdrop of the black sky by the lamp post, illuminated in a soft orb of yellow light.

The thought of standing in front of Neji Hyuuga and handing over the only way to speak with her that she didn't automatically associate with the idiot he had been all week made him want to throw up. Her cousin would return and tell her who it was and he could just imagine her confusion, the way her ears would turn red, her cheeks would follow, her eyes would be twin moons of discontent.

 **I'm sorry, but I can't today**

 _ **Oh that's okay.**_

Of course it was. Knowing her she wouldn't want to inconvenience someone who had been kind to her up until now.

"I so fucked up." Sasuke sighed, pressing both hands to his face as he dropped the phone to the bed beside him.

Naruto sitting at his desk buried in work he should have done several weeks ago and was only now putting any effort into grunted from his place among the stacks of textbooks. "I keep telling you you're a screw up."

Scoffing in reply the Uchiha stared some more out the window, watching the patterns of the snow as it drifted in the stillness of the freezing night. Her eyes had lit up like starlight at the sight of it, her mouth pink and supple turning to smile at the heavens, hands outstretched.

There were dozens of poems in her journals about snow or ice, about the sky in the clear blue days and on rainy nights.

"You worried about talking to Hinata now?" Naruto inquired when he didn't throw anything awful back at him in reply to his jab. Sasuke breathed in deep, pressing a hand to his forehead tiredly.

It felt like digging around for his own kidney and pulling it out to hand over but after a long agonized moment he sighed. "Yes."

"Hn." Naruto's little sound was amused, blue eyes turning to him finally. "So you _are_ human. Shikamaru owes me 20." Then after a pause where the Uchiha didn't reply he sighed.

"Well, first of all if you've decided you're not going to leave Konoha U and head out of town for the rest of your life to avoid her that's a good step." Naruto's smirk was wide. "Proves you're no coward."

Sasuke just stared at him, desperate enough in the moment to hope for something actually useful to come out of the blonde's mouth.

"Second of all, are you going to actually say something to her about it?" Naruto tapped on his desk, staring at the textbook in front of him. "Sometimes it's the right time. Other times..." he shrugged. "I'm an expert at confession bloopers. You were after all present for all of the Sakura confession fiascoes of the last two decades."

Sasuke stared. "You mean, does Hinata like someone else right now?"

Naruto smirked. "Exactly. You were always in my way, smug bastard."

"Not on purpose." the brunette grumbled flipping onto his stomach and stuffing his face into his pillow. He had never quite felt this... raw. It was like walking around with his ribcage open and the beating heart inside it exposed to air. It didn't sting it burned.

"Well, does she though? Any ideas? Or do you have to do some recon?" Naruto continued, leaning back in his chair before lacing his fingers behind his head. "Maybe Sakura can find out for you."

"No." Sasuke's reply was tired, the kind of bone tired of already having lost the bliss of ignorance. "I think... I think I might know already."

"You sound like a country song, someone ran over your dog, ran away with your woman and stole your car. She's into someone, huh?" The blonde cocked his head then waiting.

Within the confines of his pillow Sasuke squinted his eyes shut so tight they hurt, mulling over the predicament he now found himself in. The thing was of course that he was fairly sure Hinata Hyuuga was interested in someone.

Oddly enough, it was a faceless nebulous Sasuke Uchiha.

Now, he was going to have to compete... with himself.

"This... is a nightmare." He growled, sitting up to punch the pillow hard.

Naruto twisted his mouth thoughtfully. "I should be feeling kind of sorry for you, I think. But all I can think of right now is how happy I am that you're screwed like the rest of us in this department. Seriously."

Rubbing his forehead tiredly Sasuke shot him a look. "Don't make me practice on Sakura."

"Don't even joke." Naruto's frown was instant and he pointed at him with a pencil. "Low blow."

Smirking with his victory Sasuke went to sit at his desk, attacking this problem like he would anything else: with pen, paper and pencil.

* * *

"Have I ever seen you giddy?" Ino eyed Tenten up as they walked together through the freezing cold of the campus, dodging other similarly bundled students braving the cold for the sake of knowledge. Tenten's hair was down, a rare occurrence in the first place, her eyes a little dreamy. Grinning over her scarf she winked. "Only after a lot of tequila."

"I see no tequila." Ino retorted. "Did the boy finally say something? You showed him all that lingerie you bought with Sakura didn't you?" She grinned a tell tale smile and Tenten gave her a little shove on the shoulder. "Ino. No."

Her eyes slid to Hinata who was trying to not be part of the conversation if at all possible.

"But maybe I will sometime." She finally allowed herself, quickly adding. "Sorry, Hina."

"I'm not listening." Hinata replied primly, although her face was pink and she was glaring at her phone.

 _ **I'm re-evaluating my room mate.**_

 **Are you? You always seemed kind of annoyed with him.**

 _ **I am but I'm thinking I may have been under appreciating the poor fool.**_

 **That's... almost nice.**

 _ **One step at a time**_

 **I said no to someone yesterday so I guess you're right. Two steps forward one step back.**

 _ **Who'd you say no to?**_

They had never asked each other these sorts of questions. The whats whens and whos had all been nebulous things outside of the safety ring that had invisibly come up around their conversations. Nervously she fiddled with the device in her hand while following her friend's and their cheery banter to their respective faculties for the last class of the morning.

After that it would be time for meeting Sasuke at the library, and she knew she wasn't going to get much time to reply.

Fidgeting she stopped, letting Tenten and Ino wander off ahead of her a few steps while she glared at the phone, unsure of why this was making her so nervous. Shifting inside her jacket until it was hugging her more closely she finally typed out.

 **Someone I don't usually say no to.**

Neji had been confused by her refusal to hand over the phone, and Tenten's puzzled expression had thankfully been a small blip in the evening when Neji finally left. Too distracted by the fact that her cousin had finally stated he needed Tenten to not go on dates with anyone neither of her friends had questioned her refusal to hand over the cell phone. Wanting to keep it that way she had crawled into bed soon after, texting under the covers while they giggled at Neji's frantic panic over the possibility of Tenten dating. Even though she had assured him Sakura was teasing he had seemed flustered and unsure.

Enough to say not to do it. Enough to blush the way his cousin did, a thing no one knew he was capable of. A thing which had Tenten grinning from ear to ear.

Hinata had fallen asleep smiling, partly because her friend was apologizing for not being able to give her things back, but also because her cousin had finally been scared into action. About time.

 _ **Poor soul.**_

Smiling broadly again she continued after her friends who were shouting for her to catch up.

 **Why? I was nice about it.**

 _ **Of course you were.**_

She actually pouted at the sight of Neji standing there at the door of her classroom when Professor Jiraya was finally done gushing over the file she presented as an example of what their storybook would look like.

He attracted attention from most of the class as they passed by, especially of the female sort, leaning languidly against he wall, arms crossed unconsciously showing off the muscles beneath his long sleeved dark gray shirt. Whenever he wore dark gray his eyes became lanterns in his face, captivating and overwhelming. Hinata had seen those eyes render Tenten mute... for a few seconds at least. More than anyone else had ever managed.

Now those orbs were fixated at the doorway and there was no avoiding him. Hunching her shoulders Hinata double checked that the cell phone which had become a bone of contention was in her pocket before stepping out into the hall, arms wrapped tight around her books.

"I have to meet with my partner for a project meeting, Nii-san." she began, trying and mostly succeeding in not whining.

"I need to get that phone back, Hime." He replied tartly, and the use of her nickname on his lips would usually have unearthed her complete inability to say no.

Except for this time she simply couldn't.

"I asked if today worked and they said no this morning." Hinata sighed, trying to look disappointed. "Perhaps they aren't on campus right now?"

Her cousin frowned, pushing himself off the wall to follow her careful steps towards the exit glowing with the noon day sun on the freshly fallen snow of the night before. "Hinata."

"Yes?"

"What are you hiding?" His tone was almost amused, and with eyes owlish in their innocence she turned to him. "N-nothing, Nii-san!"

"Hm." His disbelief was light and sighing he bumped her with his shoulder very gently. "Where are you going right now?"

"To... um... to meet Sasuke at the library." Sliding her eyes sideways the Hyuuga shifted uncomfortably and Neji let his eyes linger on her, catching the bite of her lip and the way her hair moved to cover her from sight as her shoulders tightened.

"How about I tag along?"

Wide eyed now Hinata turned to him. "Uh... I... don't you have class? I thought you-"

"In fifteen minutes." Neji continued calmly, listening to the crunch of the snow beneath their feet as they stepped out into the campus maze and began threading through bodies packed with jackets to buffer against the cold. Shivering Hinata moved to pull her hood up, only to find Neji had already pulled it over her head.

"I... I don't think you have to, um... he's-he's okay. It was a little hard at first but he's..." Hinata struggled for a moment and Neji continued to follow, his one long step eating up the space of two of her rapid steadily more panicked trots.

"I'll just introduce myself." Her cousin continued as she tried to gather her words together.

"But..." Hinata began and then stopped looking up as the library appeared to find Sasuke at the steps, leaning on the railing watching them approach with narrowed dark eyes.

Beside her she felt the animosity burst to flame like a match struck and letting out a breath through pursed lips she tried to smile. "Sasuke, h-hello."

"Hinata." Sasuke's calm tone was as icy as the snow and his eyes didn't deviate from Neji's pale gaze.

"Uh... this... this is my cousin, Neji-nii-san, this is Sasuke-"

"Right. You're the younger brother of Itachi Uchiha." Neji commented and he stretched out his hand much the same way a man would wave a knife at a robbery.

Slowly, eyes careful Sasuke's gaze widened with understanding and then a shaky smirk rose to his lips. "That would be correct. I suppose you might have had occasion to speak with him."

The sudden ice in his voice cracked and Hinata watched in confusion as the two men shook hands in front of her, stepping back a bit, although Neji was admittedly almost between her and the Uchiha.

"Only a handful of times. I doubt he would remember." Neji allowed carefully, watching Sasuke's gaze drift from him to Hinata who was twisting the ends of her sleeve in her fingers in front of her clasped books.

More thinly Neji added. "It seems the partnership on the project had a bit of a rocky start, from what I understand."

Sasuke gaze snapped back to him like a magnet and although there was a stillness about his mouth his eyes narrowed just a fraction. "Perhaps a bit, yes. Creative minds tend to have disagreements."

"I highly doubt Hinata was a source of disagreement." Neji frowned back and to his surprise Hinata let out a soft "Excuse me?"

Turning to her his cousin frowned. "I've never seen you deal with anyone with a lack of diplomacy."

"You don't give her enough credit." Sasuke's smirk was evident in his tone even as Hinata went to defend herself. "She's no push over."

Startled Hinata stared at him, eyes wide in her face with surprise. Beside her Neji's frown was deepening as the Uchiha ignored him, dark eyes focused on his little cousin to his right who he was noting with alarm was heating up like a kettle on high.

"I have never believed Hinata to be a push over." Her Nii-san said softly then, putting a hand to Hinata's shoulder. "Never."

Suddenly under the scrutiny of two tall handsome young men Hinata shrunk deeper into her hood and jacket.

"A...ah, I... I'm cold... I have to... um..." she motioned to the library, although the lie about being cold was brazen considering the redness of her face and the heat from her body surely melting the snow around her.

"Well, I won't keep you." Neji sighed, turning his eyes back to Sasuke who moved to follow as Hinata headed up the stairs to the library in a hurry. "I just hope there will be no more... disagreements in the future." He threw in, making Sasuke pause and turn to look at him with a decidedly relaxed stance, hands in his pockets shoulders back. It was infuriating and impressive that nothing he had said so far seemed to alarm the young man before him.

Even more infuriating was the smile that had flickered on his lips as Hinata's cheeks had reddened.

"I hope that as well, Hyuuga." Sasuke said simply, turning to follow Hinata up the stairs and missing the frown that Neji shot at him as they disappeared into the building.

Standing just inside the door way Hinata peered at Sasuke over the edge of her books, pale eyes scrunched shut against her awkwardness. "I'm sorry."

Sasuke stopped, surprised to find her there, just a ball of tension waiting for him to appear. He cocked his head watching as she finally opened one eye to peek at him, her face still red. "He's... I didn't say anything, Neji-nii just... he's my big brother and..."

"I have one of those." Sasuke shrugged then, reaching inside his bag as she spoke, rummaging inside. "It's fine. Although he's never quite... interviewed a project partner that way, I must admit."

"Argh." Hinata sighed, rustling her bangs nervously. "I'm sorry."

And he laughed.

She stopped, frozen by the amused sound that left his throat, at once dark and sensual and so surprising in it's lightness that she stared, her hand frozen tangled in her hair.

"I told you." He finally looked up, a little puzzled by her stare. "You don't have to apologize." And without a word of explanation he offered her a card.

It was a palm sized piece of heavy card stock. Still amazed that someone like Sasuke could laugh Hinata took it slowly, wondering what in the world it could be as he shifted his bag onto his shoulder and began scanning the library for an empty table.

Giving her no time to examine the paper he nodded. "There's a table. Come on." And he moved quickly. In the mess of snow and ice everyone was looking for a warm place to study that didn't require rushing out past the faculties to the dorms and the library was packed. Together they snatched at the chairs left behind by another group and Hinata sighed with relief, starting her process of nesting in the space.

"Everyone is so scared of the weather." She mused, settling her books beside her lap top and her pencil on her right side. Like clockwork the lists of words she used frequently came out of the depths of her bag, worn and beaten from use, their titles scribbled several times in different pens as the ink from the first time it was written faded.

Sasuke watched her, awkward now from his place at the table, biting his lip, eyes trained on her long fingers as they typed in the password for her laptop.

His stomach was tight, like right after getting elbowed in the gut by Sakura or punched by Naruto, and his mouth felt strangely dry. For a moment he wondered if that was how his poor best friend had struggled for years in the presence of the pink haired loud mouth and a flash of empathy ripped through him.

"What was it you gave me?" She asked suddenly, and her eyes turned to the cardstock sitting on top of her books innocently. Taking the paper in her hands she stared at it, the one side was so intricately detailed in snowflakes she had thought it was a print, but upon closer inspection she realized that the image was in fact hand drawn in pen ink. The pattern of snowflakes twisted and turned and connected together to create a mosaic of winter. It was as complex as geometric patterns she had seen in books on mosques and yet seemed as organic as the chaos of a forest floor.

"Wow, that's beautiful." She whispered, running a finger over it and glancing up at him. "Did you draw this?"

His dark eyes watched her intently, giving one slow nod.

Flipping it over she blinked at the neat careful writing on the back.

 _ **Alpenglow : **__the reddish glow on snow topped mountains seen at dusk or dawn_

 _ **Apricity** : the warmth of the sun in winter_

Slowly she raised her eyes to Sasuke who was staring determinedly at the table, brow furrowed. "I thought they would be words to add to your collection." His voice was quiet, almost too quiet to hear but being in the library helped.

Eyes widening slowly Hinata looked back down at the paper, lips parting in surprise as realization slowly settled on her shoulders.

"You... you found me a new words?" she whispered.

He couldn't say the rest of what he had intended. The sentences derailed in his throat and refused to recount how the alpenglow had reminded him of her cheeks when she blushed. Instead he pulled out his sketches and began to organize them by page, clearing his throat before asking. "Did you want me to read over the last part of the book?"

Raising his gaze back to her he blinked, watching her staring at the cardstock for a moment longer before nodding. "Yes... it's.. um... I printed it out. One second." Hesitantly she ruffled through the papers on her right with one hand, pressing the other with her new word to her chest. After a moment of ruffling through her papers she stopped, looked back down at her words in her hands, cradling the cardstock carefully in her hands before turning her gray eyes to him with a puzzled pink cheeked expression.

He had to bite down on his lip hard to keep his smirk from overpowering him right into a grin.

* * *

 ** _Freaking Sasuke and his cuteness._**

 ** _Leave me some love, ne!_**

 ** _Inky_**


	11. Chapter 11

**_Apologies, to my darlings._**

 ** _Writing has become difficult. I am not reading enough, exercising enough or sleeping enough. The brain simply does not work well in such circumstances. But then, trying to remedy that cuts into my writing time. It's an impossible situation. I'm not super pleased with this chapter but I'm hoping getting past it will allow me to continue on._**

 ** _Much love,_**

 ** _Inky_**

 _ **"Get through a draft as quickly as possible. Hard to know the shape of the thing**_

 _ **until you have a draft. Literally when I wrote the last page of my first draft of Lincoln's Melancholy I thought,**_

 ** _Oh shit, now I get the shape of this. But I had wasted years, literally years, writing and re-writing the first third of the first half._**

 ** _The old writers rule applies: Have the courage to write badly_**

 ** _-Joshua Wolf Shenk_**

 ** _this is me being courageous.-ink_**

* * *

 _Sounds now had shapes._

 _She stared at them as they shifted, droplets of color that came to be with every pulse of the bass beat that echoed through the world of her dream. In shifting blue and green the miniature spheres of color floated in the air, sound made tangible- and silent. The bubbles were of different sizes depending on the depth of vibration that birthed them. They moved slowly through the world, lacking in gravity, shifting with the rhythm of the harmony she couldn't hear, only see._

 _The frat house was empty, but there was the litter of people having been present. Red disposable cups scattered on the ground, taking the place of rose petals through the halls and tiles and wood floor. Because this was not a romantic moment. This was a drunken chaos. An inebriated mess._

 _She stood in the middle of it, turning slowly in the dim lights, assessing the disaster. Overturned bottles of liquor on the kitchen counter, half filled shot glasses with lipstick still on the rims. Napkins hastily thrown over a spill of something that was brilliantly colored in neon green._

 _The silence lingered only because the sounds of music were no longer sounds but paint. It pulsed again, moving through the air in an outward wave of millions of multicolored droplets, shimmering out from the hall where the sound of the party originated._

 _Her feet moved, and she stepped carefully through the garbage on the floor, breathing in the sick sweet smell of spilled beer and old perfume._

 _The sliding door behind the white floating curtain shifted ghost like, breathing with the freshness and freezing touch of the night._

 _She stared out at the darkness outside, felt her stomach bunching together into a tight knot, felt herself drawing closer even as her hands gripped at the edges of the door frame. She was a cat being dragged to a bath._

 _Or maybe a pig to slaughter._

 _An innocent to a guillotine._

 _She began to say no, but the sounds coming out of her mouth were not sounds. Small pink, purple, lavender droplets of paint exploded from her lips, floating out in lazy swirling circles. Bubbles that floated and did not convey her feelings. Useless._

 _Panicked now, her heart thumped a painful ache in her chest and she gripped the door frame with both hands, fingers hurting with the force of her hold._

 _Silent colored screams poured from between her lips, the bubbles floating out more frantically in shades of crimson, bone white, twisting purple black._

 _And then she felt his hands._

 _Gasping and choking with the tears she turned, saw his gray eyes, his dark red hair, his grip on her skirt._

 _Sasori._

 _White flag of surrender._

 _She wanted the words coming from her mouth to be painted red for stop, red for caution, red for threat, red for anger._

 _She wanted her screams to be red for blood._

 _But she whispered instead of shrieking, and the bubbles erupted from her mouth in dewy droplets of shy yellow, hesitant lime green, apologetic off white._

 _He smiled, the black pouring not bubbly but oily from his mouth, leaving rivulets of ink down his pale white chin, along his handsome jaw, staining his clothing._

 _And then his hands pulled on the white flag of surrender, tearing it apart._

She sat up with a muffled groan and gasping, fingers shoved against her lips to keep the sound inside. Like a person half drowned she sucked in air hard, her heart going a mile a minute as she listened with desperate relief to the soft whimper coming from her throat. No paint, no bubbles, no silence.

The dorm room was still and dark, only Tenten's computer humming softly in the black broke the peace and with a shuddering gasp Hinata buried her face into her hands. Her neck was sticky with sweat, her dark hair plastered to her on her neck and chest.

Trying to stifle the ragged gasping she stiffened, watching as her friend rolled in her bed and lazily blinked her brown eyes at her.

"Hina?" Tente's voice was thick with sleep, her brown hair a tumble around her face as she peered with one eye open at her, trying to discern her expression in the near black.

The light from the street lamp outside their window shone through the thick fibers of the curtain and cast a muffled glow of yellow through onto the back wall of their room, leaving everything else in tones of black and dark gray, including Hinata's face.

For good measure the Hyuuga allowed her hair to cover the tense expression on her features. "Sorry, just... thirsty. Go back to sleep." she whispered, licking her lips and realizing she was at least telling the truth in that regard. Stiffly she pushed herself to her feet, watching as Tenten eyed her tiredly some more.

"You okay?"

"Yep." the short snap allowed for no stutter, or shake in her voice and with her back to her friend she wandered to the mini fridge in their living room to dig around for a water bottle.

Satisfied with the self assured tone Tenten rolled onto her stomach, splayed in her covers with her ducky pajamas smiling along her arms and legs. In moments her soft breath had slowed to a rhythm of rest and Hinata dared to walk back to her bed, sitting at the edge with her head in her hands and her water bottle forgotten by her side.

Sasori's face was still vivid in her mind's eye, his gray eyes focused and determined, his grip on her clothing fierce.

She swallowed hard and dragged in some more air, trying to calm the rapid flow of blood carrying the remnants of adrenaline through her system, causing the tremble in her hands, the shake of her legs, the itching anxiety at her toes.

The night before the dream had been brightly lit in flashing neon and glow in the dark red and green. Her body had been covered in the green necklaces, tightening around her neck until she could hardly breathe, pinning her helplessly to the wall of the frat house.

And then, Hidan had walked languidly over to her, making her open her mouth with a forceful pinching of both cheeks as she cried.

They would not dare to do anything to her, she was certain of it. Neji would destroy them, and they knew she was his cousin. But also, Akatsuki would not be able to protect them if the might of the Hyuuga came after them. Surely they must know that?

Still, her hand shook as she pushed her hair back from her face to cool her sweaty forehead. They had torn her dress, handled her roughly... perhaps she was too complacent in her safety?

Thoughts of discussing what happened with Neji lingered at the edges of her mind. How would she even bring up the topic? Could she sit there through the worry and disappointment on his face? Could she watch as horror flooded his gray eyes, overwhelmed by the tidal wave of anger that would surely follow? Could she...articulate to him the sound of her lace tearing and her heart in her throat threatening to choke her as she tried to keep the tattered bits of her modesty pressed to her body while she shivered in the cold?

And then how would she keep him from finding Sasori and in his rage bleeding him on the campus grounds? Neji would be expelled, probably charged with assault. He had already had close calls before...

It was the one thing that he could simply not control. Hurt to his little cousins was unpardonable. Punishment was a requirement and he was the only one who could accomplish the task of executing the appropriate chastisement. It had always been that way. The only times Neji was ever in trouble for anything in school had been fights begun because someone had made Hinata cry. She had always lamented that she was so darn sensitive. It didn't take a lot to get her crying- so as a result it didn't take a lot to get Neji breaking noses.

Dreams rarely bothered her. She wasn't a strong dreamer, if they came in the night they faded quickly. She had always been jealous of Tenten who had an affinity for it and seemed to remember everything with such clarity when she described the stories she saw in her sleep you could almost smell the reality of them.

Hinata wrinkled her nose and grabbed her cell phone off the nightstand, nestling into her blankets so that the tightness of it's grip around her shoulders resembled a hug. Hesitating only a moment she typed, hoping the volume was turned down on the receiving phone so as to not wake him up.

 _ **Did you know that in Homer's Illiad, Zeus sends a dream to Agamenmon to attack Troy? He calls it a Wicked Dream, like a person. First name Wicked, last name Dream. I wonder if all nightmares are descendants of this Wicked Dream.**_

She had almost put the cell back on the nightstand when it lit to a bright white glow in her hand, shivering against her palm. Wincing she looked at the thing, regretting her decision to send a message instantly.

 **You realize it's three in the morning right? Are you okay?**

 _ **I'm so sorry, I didn't think you would see that until morning!**_

 **Insomnia and I are good friends lately. It's kind of nice to know I'm not the only one awake. Although, it sounds like you were before Wicked Dream showed up. Did you have a nightmare?**

Hinata studied the question, pondering the possibility of answering truthfully. This person... didn't exist in her life the way that anyone else did. There were no chances of repercussions, no fear of watching their face crumble as she explained her nerves since the party. They wouldn't study her intently through the day and ask her excessively if she was okay if she jumped a little or seemed nervous.

Swallowing she replied, frowning a bit as she edited her wording before pressing send.

 _ **Haven't been able to sleep that well lately either. Something happened recently with some people. I didn't think it was so bad but I guess it's got me a little scared.**_

He replied before the message had had a chance to linger in the inbox.

 **Do you want to tell me about them?**

Something had changed. She wasn't sure how to articulate the difference but their conversations, always so surface level had taken a dive into the depths of who she was. His questions were pointed, there was a yes or no answer to his requests and she was finding herself more often than not granting access to her mind.

But she had never once shared a dream before.

Especially one like this.

 _ **The people or the nightmares?**_

She was stalling. Would she be willing to talk about either? Hidan and Sasori were not exactly names she had voiced out loud since the party. Even with Sasuke who was the only person to know the extent of her fright she had made it a point to avoid all conversation regarding Friday night. Even when he had curiously inquired about how she was doing since then.

 **Whichever.**

Then, after a moment.

 **Both.**

On her stomach she looked at the one word, studying what it meant.

 _Talk to me about whatever you want. Talk to me about all of it._

 _Talk to me._

 _Do you want to talk to me?_

Biting her lip she began to type.

 _ **I was stupid.**_

 _ **I put my guard down.**_

Closing her eyes tightly she sighed.

 _ **Please don't tell anyone.**_

 _ **Nothing actually happened.**_

 _ **I was naive and I had a scare with someone, they thought they could do things to me. I didn't think it would be like that. I've never gone to one before.**_

She stared at the texts, feeling her face heat with shame, discomfort and nerves. Clenching her hands rhythmically so that her nails dug into her palm in beats she continued when he was unresponsive.

 _ **Nothing actually happened. I got scared. I guess I still am or I wouldn't be having nightmares about it. Mostly I just feel stupid.**_

For a long few minutes there was nothing, just the silence and the screen glowing back at her face until it darkened and she sighed. Of course she would have made him feel awkward. What an idiot.

Berating herself she buried her face into her pillow and if she had not had her hand on the cell phone she probably wouldn't have noticed the reply. Instead she felt the vibrations in her loosely wrapped fingers and straightened sharply, staring at the words.

 **Did they hurt you?**

Hinata frowned at the question, picturing again Sasori's face and his grip on her dress, the torn bit of lace in his fingers tossed to the ground carelessly, the set of his jaw and lips.

 **Don't just say no. Think about it.**

 **Did they hurt you?**

Burying her face into her hands for a moment she felt the answer sitting on her tongue, heavy and sharp and biting. Despite the lack of blood, bruises or broken bones, something had been broken. Something had been damaged.

She couldn't say it. Instead the lie tapped against the cell phone screen in reply.

 _ **No.**_

Figuring then he would sigh, and say something gentle and soothing she sat back, waiting to see the "Thank goodness." or something similar.

Instead his reply made her set her jaw tightly, pressing her lips hard to a thin line.

 **You sure? Why are you having nightmares then?**

She closed her eyes against his words, against the thing she had been thinking but been unable to articulate.

 _ **I guess because they made me realize they could have, and maybe wanted to.**_

There was no other truth she could say. Nothing else to add to the conversation that wouldn't be a lie or an argument or a denial.

And she didn't want to do any of those things. Not to him.

 **Then you need to let them know how they actually can't. At least, not without major consequences.**

Hinata shifted a little then, frowning, gnawing on her lip as she thought.

 _ **I don't know how...**_

On the other side of the campus Sasuke pressed the phone to his forehead hard, feeling the pain of the pressure knowing there would be no more sleep for him, no way. Quietly he typed a reply, hoping to god that he wasn't giving himself away.

 **Don't deal with it alone. I bet you someone who cares about you would have ideas.**

 _ **No one really knows about this.**_

 **No one at all?**

 _ **Well... maybe one person.**_

 **One is better than none.**

* * *

It was five in the morning and usually that wouldn't have bothered Naruto, he could sleep through the screaming rough housing of his football team early in the morning beating each other up when they had to travel for games and stay in hotels together. He could doze through lectures by professors that threw things at his head to try to keep him awake. He barely ever even noticed when Sasuke was up at all hours of the night.

Being a room mate to a night owl made one dead to the world when sleep came calling. It was that or die.

However, noise and movement was okay, he could deal with that. It was the manic emotional energy that woke him that morning, coming off of Sasuke's body in waves.

Peering with his azure colored eye through the sleep and warmth of his blankets Naruto watched as Sasuke stared irritably at his lap top. He hardly ever used the thing, preferring to write out his papers by hand and then type them in if necessary. Naruto figured it was something about being able to hold a pencil or pen in his hand that seemed to help him think.

In that moment he could tell from the frantic tap tap tap of the pen in his hand beating the edge of the desk that his thoughts were rapid fire and aggressive. A machine gun of ideas, and likely none friendly.

Letting out a deep breath the blonde pulled his blanket down so his mouth was free and voice thick with the sleep he called out.

"What's wrong with you?" It was starting to become his mantra with Sasuke. More common on his mouth than hello or how are you.

Startled Sasuke turned to look at him, surprised. It was not one of Naruto's early mornings, and that meant that he would sleep in until ten minutes before class at nine in the morning, dash out of the dorm in a hurry half dressed, complain about not getting any breakfast until lunch time and then convince the ladies in the cafeteria that he deserved waffles for lunch by sweet talking them with a wink of his brilliant gaze.

Naruto was not exactly the most surprising of people. Predictability was one of his charms. So Sasuke winced a little guiltily to see him blinking sleepily before the sun had even really risen.

"Nothing." Sasuke retorted,turning back around to glare at the screen of his lap top.

An email sat open on the glowing surface, empty and white. The Uchiha glared at it some more, like it was failing him somehow.

"...you're cooking your brain. There's steam coming out of the top of your head, I can nearly see it." Naruto yawned, splaying himself onto his back before stretching languidly. "Also, there's nasty vibes coming right out of you, they're giving me the heebie jeebies. What's the matter?"

Sasuke's knee vibrated rhythmically for a moment and he wondered how to continue.

It always surprised him when Naruto could read him like a book. It shouldn't considering that he had been doing it for the better part of a decade but the blonde seemed so incredibly hyper that it was like being understood by a jack russel terrier jumping up and down telling him about his personal struggles in a high pitched bark. "I... am debating writing an email to Itachi." Sasuke admitted finally, and he allowed his eyes to slide back to where Naruto lay staring at the ceiling.

He had figured out when they were young that if Sasuke was struggling to say something looking at him was the worst thing a person could do. Partly because if he got frazzled enough there was no telling where his fists would end up, and it protected your eyes to have them pointed elsewhere.

But also because without the pressure of the attention words seem to slide more easily off his tongue. Sometimes.

Nothing ever worked a hundred percent of the time with the Uchiha.

"Hm." Naruto replied groggily, rubbing his face. He didn't need to ask about what, he could hear in Sasuke's voice the hesitation of not having finished talking.

"I want... to scare the shit out of Sasori." He dragged in a breath, wincing against the possible reaction to come.

Naruto lay still again, frowning at the ceiling like it had called him a rude name. In his sleepy brain things moved slowly. Puzzle pieces tried to fit together and for a moment he wondered if coffee would assist him in making sense of Sasuke's words.

"You lost me." He finally admitted. "Try again."

"I can't." Sasuke shrugged, rubbing his face hard. "Just trust me when I say he deserves it."

"You want Itachi to scare the shit out of Sasori? Like... legally? What did he-" and Naruto paused then, remembering the look on Sasori's face the night of the party after finding him without Hinata and Sakura's worried tone when Tenten informed them he was with the Hyuuga alone.

Slowly the blonde sat up, dragging in a long careful breath. "Sasuke. Did something...?" he paused, watching the raven haired young man turn his face away, a muscle pulsing in his jaw telegraphing his intense dislike for the conversation.

"You haven't slept all night have you?" His sentence derailed with mild surprise. Sitting up abruptly he frowned at Sasuke's back. "If you need me to do something, like... I'm here, you know that, right?"

Surprised for the third time that morning Sasuke turned to look at him, black eyes serious as he surveyed him.

Letting out a very soft breath he whispered. "He tried something... at the party. With...Hinata. I got there on time."

It was instant. The open calm of Naruto's face and the soft sleepiness washed away. The blue of his eyes turned less carefree and summery. Two blinks later his hands were laced tightly together as he leaned his elbows on his knees, frowning at Sasuke.

It was amazing how quickly he went from a sleepy boy to the broad shouldered man before him. And it reminded Sasuke again how thankful he was that if there ever was a situation where he felt outnumbered or out of sorts Naruto was always behind him, ready to break jaws.

"Forget Itachi. You and I could make him plenty scared."

Smirking now, feeling a hundred times better than he had a minute ago Sasuke leaned back, covering his eyes with his hands as his body finally relaxed and the tiredness of staying up all night hit him.

Talking to Hinata on the phone had kept him awake for a part of the night but after that his mind had been racing, thinking about her hesitation to talk to anyone else about it. About how she would rather discuss it, even vaguely with a stranger. He highly doubted she had bothered to mention her escapade to her cousin. Neji Hyuuga looked like he would have been led away in handcuffs if he knew.

Maybe that was why.

"We can't do that." He muttered, although every atom in his body wished he didn't know better.

"Why not?" Naruto's voice was rough as he stood, rummaging in his laundry baskets of finally washed clothing a little more aggressively than he usually did. "A broken nose does wonders for pricks like Sasori."

"Hinata has not told anyone, otherwise you'd know. She would have told Sakura, who would have told you. I'm probably fucking up right now discussing it at all." Sasuke muttered, and warily he threw himself into his bed, staring up at the ceiling that had kept Naruto so entertained a few moments ago.

The blonde grunted something unintelligible from within the confines of his sweat shirt as he threw it over his head. "We could say it's unrelated. Honestly, I just want to punch him. We can say it was an oopsie and I was drunk or something."

Letting out an uncharacteristic snort Sasuke smirked up at the ceiling. "..maybe." he allowed, then curiously he added. "Where are you going?"

"For a run. I'm not able to sit here thinking about how that piece of shit is walking around campus without at least one broken bone. Let me know what you decide in the end. I have to do something before I catch fire." Naruto grumbled. "So much for sleep."

"Sorry."

"No." Naruto threw back sharply, giving him a look. "Don't. I wish you had told me at the party- fuck I wish I had been there with you. It wouldn't have mattered if Hinata wanted us to do something or not, he would have left in an ambulance."

Sasuke stared at him for a long moment, contemplating the variety of things he took for granted from his friend. "You're right."

"It doesn't happen often." Naruto pointed at him with a smile. "But it does happen."

"Keeps me on my toes." Sasuke allowed, flopping onto his stomach and sighing. "Now, I have about an hour before I have to get up to go to class." he added. "Fuck."

"Girls." Naruto shrugged as he stepped out into the hall. "They have various methods of keeping us awake _all_ night."

Sasuke frowned as he watched the blonde pull his hood up over his head, thinking about that statement. Naruto flashed him a knowing smile. "Just, some of their ways are _much_ more pleasant than others." He laughed and Sasuke turned away with an eye roll. "One day, Uchiha." He called, closing the door. "One day you'll understand."

In the silence after his departure Sasuke stared at the phone sitting silent and innocent on the nightstand beside him, wondering for a second what Hinata had been wearing when she had been texting him all night.

Feeling the flush of heat rise to his face as his brain came up with various different mouth drying possibilities he shoved himself to his feet.

"So. No sleep. Got it." He grumbled, throwing his things together to head out for much needed coffee.

But maybe, a cold shower first.

* * *

The lack of sleep had done nothing for her ability to get to class on time and as a result she had been rushing through the morning. In class she had sat watching as the sky threatened with more snow, sinking low in the heavens as though it were busy peering down to see what everyone on the earth was up to. She had barely heard anything her professor had said and with eyes stinging with tiredness she had hurried out the door, glad to see that Neji was still not out of his own class and could be avoided for the morning.

She could feel the breath of the clouds, cold and metallic as she rushed through the crowds. Blearily she rubbed at her face and gnawed on her lip hoping she wouldn't be too incredibly late to the meeting with Sasuke. He had been surprisingly pleasant in the last few days and with the card for her new words burning a hole in her back pocket she hoped she wasn't about to ruin it by being tardy.

Around her the world had turned into glass chandelier. The trees were coated in half melted snow now freezing again to encase them in the translucent glitter. The piles of slush had been thankfully pushed to the sides and with the weather forecast calling for another heavy snowfall she was glad to see that the pathways had been heavily salted. Beneath her feet the crunch of the salt crystals followed her every step all the way up the stairs to the library.

Gray eyes shifting over the top of her scarf she scanned behind her one more time, searching for Neji's familiar form and hoping not to find it. He had taken it into his head that stalking her through campus and demanding she hand over the cell phone so he could badger her friend was the best course of action. Tenten had commented that there was the possibility he found it amusing that it got her so flustered and determined but Hinata really doubted it.

Seeing no one she recognized... including two particular frat boys she had been trying not to think of too often she slipped into the library and the heat of the building enveloped her in a warm hug.

There was nowhere Hinata loved more on campus than the library besides her own room. In the dorm she could be herself, lounge in her pajamas and drape her things everywhere if she so wished. But there was something even more magical about the library.

In the library she was at home, her heart could wander through the spines and pages of a thousand books, opening and closing worlds as she meandered through the shelves. Rows and rows of texts had been touched by her idle fingers. When she couldn't think or focus she stood and followed an inner sense to secluded ignored areas of the library where things were hidden that were covered in dust from lack of use.

The smell of books hit her as she removed her beanie from her head and looked around, searching in the hushed space for the dark head of hair that was somehow always alone. Sasuke was odd in that she had noticed he couldn't enter a place without having eyes on him, and standing in his shadow of late she had noted the eyes had drifted to her now too while in his presence.

But he never seemed to make contact with anyone looking at him, his gaze was always above their eyeline, over their heads, studying something in the distance she couldn't quite see herself.

Except for when he fixed his eyes on her at least, then it was like he was looking straight through her molecules, taking apart the way the DNA linked together inside of her. She still had not decided if it was a good thing or a bad thing.

Mostly, it was an uncomfortable thing.

Catching sight of the raven haired head she gathered her books more tightly to her chest and wandered over, suddenly feeling overwhelmingly shy. Her stomach was a mess of butterflies and jumping grasshoppers. Licking her lips quickly she inched closer, watching his bowed head over his sketchbook, hand moving rapidly over the smooth whiteness of the page.

His gaze never rose as she approached and curiously she leaned over the table just a few inches closer, peering at the sketch.

Her pursed lips parted then in surprise and she took in a slow breath. The image he was working so seriously on... was the sketch of her.

"...Sasuke?"

She had hit him with a lightening bolt.

Sitting up sharp and tense he slammed his book closed, black gaze wide in his face as he turned up to look at her.

The startled jump of his body had caused his knee to slam against the table and jostled not just his things but also the laptops several seats down. Around them people turned to look curiously, steadying their pencils on the once more stable surface.

Hinata allowed him a moment to shoot glares at those glancing wonderingly at him before smiling sheepishly in apology and owlishly she turned back to see him glaring at the table top.

"...Hi." she began slowly, and her eyes traveled over his slightly bowed head, studying the furious bite he had taken of his lip. A thought crept through her mind for a moment, just a slow drip drip of an idea that collected in the basin of her mind as she studied his tense shoulders and the aggressive pinch of his bottom lip between his teeth.

 _I wonder... if his mouth... is as soft as it looks._

Standing there she tightened her grip on her books, allowing herself to simmer like a pot on low with her eyes closed.

 _No, no, no, no._

Gruffly and with a little more bite than was usual for him now Sasuke cleared his throat. "Well, are you going to just stand there this whole time or are we going to work?"

She opened her eyes then, her flushing face suddenly second priority as she frowned at him. Jaw tight she pulled the chair out and sat with a little bit of a huff, dropping her books on the table and looking at him, lips pursed.

For a moment he just stared back, glad of the high neck of his coat hiding the heat on his nape, although it was not getting better rather worse as she stared at him with an almost pout on her face. He was pretty sure she was intending to be frowning but mostly she just seemed discontented and it was making him flush even harder as she stared him down with her bright gray eyes unwavering despite her pink cheeks.

On the other hand Hinata was debating with herself. She could potentially just slink down and open her books, pretend he had not just been rude and let it go like she had so many times before.

Except for this wasn't like the times before, he looked back at her silently, and dare she say a little sheepishly? She knew then, that he also knew something had changed. Subtle though it was, something was no longer the same.

Swallowing the catch threatening to make her voice raspy, she extended her hand out.

"...Can I see?" It was a request in theory but her hand was rather expectant- certain in fact that he would hand the sketchbook currently pinned to the table with his elbow over.

Sasuke stared at her palm, feigning ignorance.

"What?"

"The sketch."

"Which one? There's a lot." He moved his folder with all of the landscapes over to her and Hinata kept her hand outstretched, her frown deepening just a little.

"No."

It was such a quiet no he was tempted to pretend he had in fact not heard it, but swallowing hard he flitted his eyes back to her face again, catching the small flex of a tiny muscle in her jaw. She looked tired, and he remembered she had been up late into the night, tossing and turning. Probably wearing pajamas. Just... _normal_ pajamas.

More flustered now he allowed himself a moment to breathe before continuing with the charade. "No what?"

There had to be a way to get out of this without giving in. Heaven's sake he would have much rather she storm out of there angry with his rudeness, but of course she would find something much worse to do than get upset. Of course.

Clever Hyuuga.

Hinata didn't say anything, her gray eyes dropped to the sketchbook and then back to his face, hand hovering over the table determinedly.

The word No sat fat and lazy in his throat.

Swallowing thickly he slowly pushed the book out from under his elbow and then across the smoothness of the table. The hiss of the leather against the wood whispered and he thought for a moment about how he was going to remember that sound and the look on her face for the rest of his life.

Hinata took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment as though relishing the victory before smiling just a little at him as though they now had an understanding and without further ado, she opened the book.

Uchihas were not cowards. They came from a long line of powerful men and women who fought hard for what they had in their life. Accomplishing impossible task after impossible task, growing in their influence and power generation through generation. And the Uchiha brothers of this particular era were no weak link in the family chain. Sasuke had had his share of fights, had debated his way to wins, had faced off with teachers and other people in authority should the situation call for it.

And yet in that moment he had every desire to just get up and walk out of the library without saying another word. Maybe he could move? Itachi was always saying he should consider finishing his education overseas.

Obviously she had not realized what she was asking, her hand froze as the first pages of the sketchbook flipped through her fingers. First there were the rapid fire pencil on paper sketches of hands over a keyboard, and as she flipped further she stopped, tracing one finger over the ring that adorned the thumb on the sketch before her, a soft lavender tinge at the center to denote the stone.

Sitting on top of the image was the real ring, on her thumb.

Without looking up she flipped again, and again, watching as the birds and backgrounds of the storybook broke up blocks of pages with studies on pale gray eyes, ink black hair that sat across the forehead, fluffy pink scarfs blocking the rest of the face. Between these spurts of black hair and smiling cloud gray eyes were almost copies of a bird nest with twisted bits of lace through it's branches, scrub jays with cocked heads in curiosity.

Another page turn and she found it. She was curled up against the outline of a bed, wearing a sweater too big for her, eyes closed in sleep, hair curled when usually it would be straight.

He had colored it in, the Konoha green of the sweatshirt was shaded darkly, the fibers seeming to jump off the page. Her hair was sprinkled with reflections of light from the lamp that was off the page but Hinata now recalled had sat on his desk behind her.

Her mouth was pink, dewy and soft.

Everything else in his sketchbook was almost more realistic than the actual item in life. Even her hands she had recognized instantly and she felt innately that she would have even if he had not noticed her ring, although it would not have been like him not to notice it.

He noticed everything.

Slowly she turned to look up at him, watching as he dragged his ebony gaze from the window to the right and towards her as she straightened. They stared back and forth for a long minute, and she studied with growing fascination the heat rising to his cheeks. Subtle in comparison to her own flaming face, but there was no denying it. Opening her mouth to say something she paused, eyes flickering to the giant shape right behind Sasuke- freezing with the words she could no longer remember caught in her throat.

He was a shadow, looming and tall in the aisle with Deidara short and whispering at his elbow, both their faces were turned to the book and he was smirking that same hunter's grin, the predatory expression making her think the only thing lacking on his face were fangs.

Hidan.

Sasuke turned sharply as the pink that had been growing on her cheeks suddenly drained and froze, jaw tight at the sight of the thick shoulders and back of Hidan studying the book in his hand while giving a quiet snort in reply to whatever Deidara kept chattering about.

Without a word he stood, and started in surprise as Hinata shot up with him, reaching across the table and grabbing his wrist hard. "Don't." Her breath was coming in stilted little gasps and her eyes flickered between him and the two Akatsuki, face tense as though bracing against an incoming blow.

They stared at each other for two short drags of air, Hinata's eyes pleading and then Sasuke sighed. "Fine. Grab your stuff, let's go."

She didn't argue, didn't even hesitate. Gathering her books and his sketchbook in her arms she stood. As Sasuke slid his bag over his shoulder he moved to walk around the table with her, dark eyes shifting deftly to where Hidan and Deidara stood, hoping they wouldn't see them.

But the blonde suddenly peered at them, smirking at Sasuke with a roll of his blue eyes that stated he remembered exactly how their last interaction had gone. Hidan, catching whatever Deidara muttered turned then, just in time to flash Sasuke a vicious grin.

Entirely too loud for the volume currenlty hushing over the library he called out.

"Yo, Uchiha- nice catch! I'll give the hero thing a try next time to get some tail too! What a move!"

She nearly dropped the books grabbing onto his arm as he spun around, face a streak of white against her black hair. "No." She was whispering, her lips pale and her eyes down. "No, Sasuke no... please..." and on the please her voice broke making him start and turn to look at her again.

Face hiding behind the thickness of her scarf and the curtain of her black bangs it was hard to tell but he was an observant person and the thick matted black of her wet lashes gave her away as she breathed in thickly.

One quick scan of the room told him there were many eyes on them, and unlike himself she had not grown used to it and therefore calloused to the stares. It was all the restraint he had ever had to exert on campus before, and grabbing the books in her arms he marched out of the library, snaking his hand down to gather her cold fingers in his as they stormed away.

A little more quietly but still too loud Hidan raised his arms after them. "What? No come back? Weak!"

Burning with fury Sasuke practically threw them both outside, jaw clenched so hard he could feel the starting of a headache at the base of his skull and along his neck.

"I should have taken you to the police." He muttered darkly, pulling her down the steps of the library and onto the campus walkway. "I can't believe I didn't."

"...Sasuke..."

"It wouldn't be impossible to sue them, you know."

"Sasuke?"

"What would you have done if you had been alone?"

Unsure of when he meant Hinata floundered, trying to think. "I...I... I would have...I don't-"

"How is it your over protective cousin hasn't skewered him?"

And at that point he stopped, breath coming out in harsh pants more blatant because of the clouds forming rhythmically in front of his face.

Hinata stared at him, feeling distinctly the tight grip of his fingers on hers. It wasn't a true hand hold, his palm was nowhere near hers, just the tips of their fingers, his enveloping hers in the heat of his fury while she pulsed with numbness.

His dark eyes were not amused, and as he waited for a reply she swallowed, allowing herself several blinks to clear the tears she had managed to keep under control before replying very softly. "I...I haven't told him."

His intake of breath was almost a hiss and before he could say anything else she added very softly.

"I...haven't told anyone."

A thousand different things wanted to come out of his mouth at once. He had hoped when she had told him this during the night that she had discounted him. That his knowing had not been the one person she had been referring to. She was white as a sheet and her eyes were too big for her small face. The color he had grown to be rather fond of was missing from her mouth and as she let out a breath the clouds that moved before her face were almost the same color as her skin.

She was scared, and if he paired this with the nightmares there was enough there to tell him she did not feel safe. And he couldn't blame her. What would Hidan have done if he had seen her alone sitting in the library minding her own business?

He could picture the brute leaning over her, touching her face, her hair, her cheek, whispering things

In danger now of cracking his teeth while he clenched them he took another shuddering breath to try to lower his blood pressure.

"Come on." He muttered, letting go of her hand and walking rapidly away.

Hinata swallowed, rubbing her fingers together where he had made contact almost expecting a spark of friction to float from her digits.

"W..where are we going?" She scrambled after him then, remembering that for every step he took she had to take two.

"Coffee shop. You're white, you need something warm." He shot over his shoulder.

Still a little behind him Hinata hesitated, her steps slow compared to his rapid walk. "But... but the book, we haven't even-"

"We can work on it there." He stopped then in time to see her pause, trying clearly to balance her anxious feelings and gather herself.

He waited then, studying her thinking through his proposition with her hands tight around the thick shoulder strap on her bag.

Softly he let out a breath. "I'll buy you a cinnamon bun."

Her eyes had been down on the ground, contemplating how to decide if she should go but at his words she looked up, startled.

"If you hurry up, I might even buy you tea." He added lazily turning around and continuing.

Watching him, a dark splotch of black against the white of the snow Hinata shifted on her boots, listening to the crunch of the salt beneath her soles, chewing on the inside of her cheek.

But this time it wasn't nerves, it was to keep from smiling as she ran after him.

* * *

Neji didn't even finish knocking before he opened the door. Usually this would have been completely against the very DNA that made up his body. He was unduly conscious of the fact that two young women lived inside the dorm room and he had the utmost respect for them. Decorum although a little old fashioned had somehow been imprinted into him from a very young age. Probably because anything less made him unspeakably red in the face and there was literally no circumstance that made him more uncomfortable than blushing in front of people.

Unlike Hinata he had managed to get over being looked at, argued with or teased, none of that phased him in the slightest. Only certain things had the power to turn him into a ripe red apple. Very particular things. Namely one brown haired, cheeky girl he found impossible to stop thinking about. And now, with the door of the dorm room open without giving fair warning he had a feeling he would not be able to blink without seeing her imprinted on his eyelids.

Tenten's face, to be fair looked rather unimpressed, even though being Tenten she simply put her hands on her hips as though she were about to scold him, brow furrowed.

"Neji Hyuuga- what-?" she began and then blinked as he promptly took a wide mouthed gasp of air, like it was his last before sinking with the Titanic and slammed the door closed.

Tenten had been changing.

Tenten had been changing from her running gear into her regular clothes.

Tenten had been trying out some of the many items of lingerie that Sakura had bought her. In particular one push up bra in a blazing red that matched the frilly panties.

Tenten had given him a nosebleed.

"Damnit." He gasped on the other side of the door, shoving his hand to his face although there would be no containing the rush of blood and the heat that was threatening to scald him coming off his skin.

He had been in such a damn hurry due to Lee mentioning that there was talk of Hidan from Akatsuki almost getting into an argument with Sasuke Uchiha. The same Sasuke Uchiha who had apparently left the library in a thunder storm of irritation dragging Hinata Hyuuga behind him.

It wasn't like Neji to make the kind of stupid adolescent mistake he just had, and yet there he was standing in the dorm hall debating asking if his little cousin was in there with the Aphrodite he had just witnessed or if maybe finding the nearest bridge was a better course of action.

You know, for jumping off of.

"Just wait a second." Tenten shouted from the other side of the door, and the sound registered in his melting ear drums.

He considered replying, but there was the probability that he was going to choke- or worse his voice was going to come out school girl high and so instead he turned, prepared to head as far from that particular room and the girl within it as possible.

He had just reached the staircase when she ripped open the door, buttoning her pants with a little hop, barefoot and hair a mane of brown waves around her shoulders.

"Stop, Neji- stop."

It was like watching an incoming shark. Adrenaline pumped through him with enough force to make him skittish and he jumped as she grabbed onto his wrist. "You're such a baby. Come on."

The skin in contact with her fingers felt like it was falling apart molecule by molecule. Dumbfounded and bleeding he felt himself pulled into the room, the door closing behind him with a kick from Tenten's bare foot.

"You Hyuugas." She grumbled, dragging him further into the room and shoving him by the shoulders down on the edge of Hinata's bed. "Always so damn hyper."

"Hyper?" He had found his voice, finally roused to fight by the jab at his lineage. They might be proud, pompous even, perhaps a little arrogant- but no one called them _hyper._

"Yeah, hyper." Tenten snapped, moving to the living room and snatching a box of tissues with some force. "It's like you've never seen a girl in a bathing suit before. Hinata swims, it's the same darn thing."

Neji blanched as she pushed a handful of tissues into his face, holding his chin firmly, muffled by the paper he frowned at her, flabbergasted.

"It is _**not**_ the same thing." He could not emphasize how bloody different it was. Tenten rolled her eyes, focusing them again on his nose, wiping away at the blood absently. "It's just clothes. Lord."

"Really?" He asked it with the heated knowledge that she was wrong. "So why not wear it out then?"

His voice had come back but without a pilot. Instantly the scorching rage of blood shot to his face and Tenten paused, raising an eyebrow as she looked at him.

"That almost sounded lecherous, Neji Hyuuga."

"No!" He began, snatching the tissue and using it to hide behind, turning his eyes anywhere but her face. "No, I'm making a point-"

Her laugh derailed his thoughts and he paused blinking hard because she was making it difficult to not stare as she chuckled at him, her mirth not unkind although it didn't get past him that she was laughing at his expense.

"Maybe knock and wait a breath next time? You're never in such a hurry." She walked over to the mini fridge and pulled out a water bottle to hand to him. "What did you need?"

Remembering suddenly Neji turned, realizing that his cousin could not have been there or he would have been dying of shame- or more so than he was already. "Hinata- Lee said that there was an argument or something between Sasuke Uchiha and Hidan at the library and she was with him. I can't find her. And because she doesn't have her damn phone..." He sighed deeply.

Tenten tensed at the mention of Hidan, lips pursing.

"Um." she began fiddling with the edge of her shirt tentatively. "Hidan, huh?"

Hawkish, Neji's eyes stilled on her, dragging his throughts from the red lingerie with some effort. "What?"

"Okay. Now, I need you to just hear me out." Tenten began conversationally, rubbing her neck.

"Tenten, what?" He sounded less and less impressed and Tenten gave him a look in defense. "Before you start, I'll tell you what happened while you were gone, okay? No need to threaten me." She bent down a little so their faces were level and he tried to frown at her, lowering the bloody tissues from his face slowly.

"Just... try to remember you just walked in on me changing." She winked then, watching his face flood with heat again. "Everyone makes mistakes, Neji."

Jaw tight Neji narrowed his eyes at her, trying to ignore his burning cheeks.

 _At least mine was a happy mistake._

Instead of saying it however he listened with mounting horror to his cousins adventure on Friday night.

* * *

 ** _Leave me some love, ne?_**

 ** _Inky_**


	12. Chapter 12

_**Hello dearies,**_

 _ **Thank you for all your lovely reviews they are much appreciated as always. I don't think there were any actual questions in any of them. Although, someone figured out what city this story is set in and I that made me happy as a clam. :) Big grin happy.  
**_

 _ **A lot of this chapter is due to the lovely Giada Luna. Go read her stuff, upgrade to a better author ;)**_

 _ **Much love,**_

 _ **Inky**_

* * *

"You can't leave."

She shoved him.

It was not the kind of shove that really sent a person flying. She weighed in at what he figured was a muscular 120 pounds to his 180, and was a good head and a half shorter than him. However a pulse of pain shot through his shoulder, and he raised his eyebrows. If it had not been Tenten he would have been livid instead of (if he was honest) turned on. Out loud he would never admit it being anything other than amused though.

She mumbled her words through hair pins caught between her lips. One arm was raised with a handful of her mane, trying to tame the unruly mass. Despite it's sexiness he understood her need to see. He had to give her props for the ability to multitask as she planted herself firmly in front of the door, fixing him with a slightly distracted glare.

"I think if you keep me here it might constitute unlawful imprisonment." He frowned, or tried to frown. There was already a rather deep furrow on his forehead that he figured now permanently live there since she told him about Hinata's adventures on Friday.

"Unlawful?" She snorted, a sound both elegant and derisive in nature that made him clench his jaw. "You're unlawfully going to beat the brains out of Sasuke Uchiha and if you can find him, Hidan. You think I don't know you," her brown eyes turned into laser beams, "but I do."

Neji paused then, catching the retort before it left his mouth as he blinked at her. Instead he attempted to keep the raging tempest that was his cousin's current affairs separate from the growing panic of being in Tenten's dorm room alone with her for what now would constitute an unseemly amount of time. He needed to get out and he needed to do it now.

And yes, part of the pressure was the desire to make Sasuke Uchiha's nose bleed. If only a little.

"He kept her in his room overnight." He began instead of saying a great deal of things about how Tenten knew him in ways he didn't even know himself. " _Overnight_ , so yes... " he squinted a little then, to keep the ferocity from pouring out of his eyes at her. "I do plan on bleeding him somewhat."

"See, I think that might not go down so well with Hinata. That being why she didn't bother to tell you anything." Tenten pointed at him with her last pin before shoving it into her hair and putting her hands on her hips to spread herself out a bit more in front of the door way. "I told you, you Hyuugas are always so damn _hyper._ "

There she went again with that infuriating statement.

"Tenten." He said her name like he was praying to some deity for assistance. "Get out of the way."

Sighing and biting her lip Tenten let her head drop a little to the right, looking sad. "You know I won't. Not until you promise you're not going to go gallivanting through the campus looking to pick fights in Hinata's name. I can't imagine a more embarrassing thing you could do to her."

"How about drag her to Akatsuki Frat House to be groped by those pigs?" His tone was no longer chiding but stern and Tenten raised her chin a little, clearing her throat and keeping her eyes pinned to his by sheer force of will.

"I made a mistake." She offered gently, sliding her hands from her hips as she clenched them. "I did. I won't even pretend that was a good idea. It got out of control and you're right. She hated it anyway, just like you said she would. I don't know how you knew but I'll give you credit where it's due."

"And you kept it from me." He added, searching her face, gray eyes looking for something specific. Tenten wasn't sure he was going to find it, and that was more terrifying than having his angry dark tones escaping his lips in her direction. A little wary now she swallowed. "I'm sorry... it wasn't really my story to tell, Hinata is a grown woman and I... I'm her friend, Neji. She didn't want to tell you." At this point she lifted a hand, her voice gaining some strength. "Maybe because you behave like this. In what world does Hinata want you getting in trouble and maybe kicked out of the University for starting fights on campus?"

This gave him pause, studying her frown with interest that was largely dampened by his still anxious need to get out the door in search of his cousin. He had questions, a lot of unanswered questions and they were burning a hole in his brain.

"My uncle- my entire family is counting on me to keep track of the heiress of their corporate empire. I don't know where she is, all I know is she's with that... Uchiha." He said Sasuke's name the same way people say the words "putrid" and "scum".

"He's... not so bad." Tenten made a face. "He's not great- but Hinata wouldn't spend time with him the way she has been if he was awful. I certainly did not just leave her to deal with him. I offered to set him straight." She pointed at his chest then, taking a step towards him with threat. "I'll set you straight too if you think beating up what I think might actually be a friend of hers is going to work."

She was adorable.

Not in a cute bunny sort of way but in a "I want to pet that tiger" adorable, both thrilling and intoxicating. Fighting a twist of his lips that might have been a smile Neji drew in a breath. "How about you come with me then. Make sure I don't... bleed anyone." He frowned at her openly then. "When I have recently bled anyone however?"

Tenten scoffed, raising a hand as she started to tick off instances on her fingers. "The movie theater downtown, that guy whose nose your family had to pay to fix at the hot springs last winter, the same year you slapped a waiter with his tray so hard you knocked out two teeth-"

"He grabbed her outside the theater, he could have been a rapist after both of you that time- and the nose was partly the fool not having any balance on the wet rocks of the hot springs he should have not slammed his face into that doorway, a little push was all I gave him, and that waiter was looking down her shirt at the table." He lifted his hands up, as if imploring god to help him handle all the sin. "Down her shirt. Not even faking to do something else."

Tenten paused her rant with her three raised fingers ticked off, brows raised. "You're not leaving until you promise. I can be very persuasive when I want to be."

It was a short staring contest. Looking at her brazenly had a way of making his heart do painful backflips and with the lingerie incident still fresh in his mind it was doing a gymnastic routine straight from the Russian Olympic team. "I won't touch him." He wondered briefly if his tongue would fall off from saying the words, but after a moment he was glad to feel it still safely inside his head.

"Who, Hidan or Sasuke?"

"Just the Uchiha, I can't even begin to think about promising anything about Hidan." He closed his eyes and Tenten had a feeling he was picturing his boot knocking out some of Hidan's teeth.

"Well... that's as good as it's going to get." She sighed, moving to step to the side. "To be honest, I kind of want to see how far into his gum line I can kick his teeth too." Relieved he moved forward grabbing the door knob only to pause.

Biting her cheek Tenten waited, studying his back curiously. "Neji?"

"...on Friday." He began slowly and Tenten blinked, cocking her head. "What...color did you wear at the stop light party?"

There was a long tense pause in which Tenten took a moment to note the pink on his neck and cheek exposed to her as he tried to glance back without actually making eye contact. Growling with a mixture of frustration and amusement she let her hands land on her hips. "Okay, no."

"Hm?"

"Goddamnit." she grumbled, pushing his shoulder hard she turned him around and with a palm to his chest had him flat against the door, gray eyes wide.

"Tenten-"

"If you want me to walk around with a bright red stop sign all over me then you better tell me that straight up, right now or I'm gonna-"

His hands were bigger than she remembered or she had always underappreciated the smallness of her waist. It was effortless for him, with a grip that made her breathless he had her up against him, his mouth warm on her own, knocking the air out of her with the ferocity of his kiss.

"I realize," He gasped against her lips as he flipped her around and pressed her to the door forcefully, lifting her legs around his waist with the hand not occupied inside the back of her shirt, sliding across the curve of her spine between her and the door, " that you would prefer I was a little more forward but...damn it, Tenten..." he slid his tongue smooth and electrifying into her mouth, drawing a sound she had never in her life made before out of her throat. "You make being respectful so incredibly _difficult_." And the way he said difficult made it both sound like a delicious cake and fifty lashes.

She might as well have been sprinting, her breath was coming in painful little gasps, and everything was fuzzy except for his lips hot and delicious against her own. It occurred to her dimly that if she hyperventilated there was the possibility of actually passing out but before the heat turned to hellish fire in her belly he was putting her down and stepping back, arranging his shirt and running a hand through his hair with shaky fingers.

Standing there with her clothing rumpled and her lips bruised Tenten stared at him, aware that her chest was rising and falling at an indecent pace.

"That was... _plenty_ respectful." she tried to sound normal but her voice was a wobbly thing made of weak knees and swoons.

His smirk was glorious, at once shy and hungry, sheepish and joyful. She could picture him then as a little boy at Christmas.

Catching her breath finally she grinned back.

"You need to open that door, please." He motioned to it, keeping a safe distance from the magnetic pull of her skin.

"Right." She nodded, sliding her hand behind her back and gripping the door knob hard.

"W...what if I didn't though?"

She had never once seen him bite his lip, but when he did it she realized opening the door was the right thing to do, because just that one action, the twist of the supple skin between his teeth made her stomach tighten and her mouth dry.

"N-never mind, never mind, let's go!" She flung open the door, scurrying out in almost as much of a hurry as he had earlier in the day.

The only thing sad about the situation was that she was going to have to get rid of her favorite ducky pajamas because Sakura had actually been right.

* * *

If there was one thing he knew now, it was that to be in love with someone was to be addicted to them. He had never really understood the fascination. Watching people in love had not taught him anything. They held hands, they whispered to each other, their cheeks flushed and their lips plumped with kissing. He had watched more than once as Naruto's eyes brightened, his posture changed at the sight of Sakura in a crowd. Like a missile on a target his whole world had seemed to zero in on her one heart beat, and he had wondered briefly why.

Now he understood it.

The city had wide sidewalks, he thought because of the rain. In the concrete wildness of the metropolis it was easy to forget that before the skyscrapers there had been a Northern Rain forest. The sky didn't forget though, and so it poured all the time. To compensate the shops spread their awnings wide, making half covered patches of sidewalk to draw in costumers. It had never occurred to him to be annoyed by this, but the truth was it gave her room to walk several steps to the side of him, or behind him, always orbiting and never touching down.

He could feel her like a fire at a distance, listening with familiarity now to the pattern of her steps. Two slow, two fast, trying to catch up with his rapid gait. He would have slowed down, but her tiny trots to keep up made his heart speed with a painful twist that was both terrifying and lovely.

"Um..." Her voice was quiet in the hubbub of the crowd. It was swallowed by the crunching of steps on salted sidewalks and hardened snow, and the whispering of the chilly wind through the branches of the trees lining the walkways. But he heard her anyway and glanced back, trying to seem nonchalant, even as he reached over without thinking and took her arm, looping it around his. No big deal. His heart still felt like it was getting shoved into a space too small for it, despite his attempt at calm. _It's no big deal. It's **not** a big deal._

Her eyes widened as she stepped closer, and he kept his gaze away because if he looked at her, really stared back, he might be tempted to do something else.

And he wasn't ready for that.

Or... maybe she wasn't.

He wasn't sure how he felt , but it didn't matter compared to how she would react. And that alone was a new for him, confusing and yet unshakable in his mind.

"W..where are we going?" Hinata finally managed softly, pulling her scarf down with some effort, her fingers were a bit on the shaky side and they felt both simultaneously numb and electrified.

Sasuke scanned the intersection, sliding his dark eyes to her and away sharply at the sight of her focused on him, the confusion looking more like disbelief with every passing second.

"A cafe, like I said."

"Right." she breathed, the puff of mist leaving her mouth lifted lazily and disappeared, although her eyes stayed where they were, locked on his face.

He had never been stared down before, and yet there she was, gray eyes like a lighthouse fixed on him. Illuminating without pause. "I think you will like it." he put in suddenly, making her turn to him again, just as she had dragged her eyes away.

"Oh." she replied, and he watched as words elbowed to get out of her mouth only for her to clamp her lips shut and turn back to look at the intersection, the cross light blinking and beeping for them to move along.

Together they wandered through and onto the other side of the street, Sasuke tugging her along when she wasn't sure which way to go. Hinata studied herself in the reflection of shop windows with her arm tangled with his, his hand in his pocket and hers gripping the sleeve of his jacket firmly and she realized it then.

 _We look...like we're..._

"Here." His voice cut off her thought, smashing it to a stop as he nodded down at a staircase of six steps leading into the sidewalk to a door sunk into the ground at the basement level of an older building.

She would have missed it. Would have walked right by it without his guidance and curiously she followed as he wandered down. "...it's...a Hinata sort of place." He said with his back to her, reaching for the brass door knob on the emerald green painted door that either looked shabby on purpose or had the good luck of being old enough to come back into fashion.

Breath caught in her throat and heart pounding Hinata felt her hand move, reaching to touch his back, to press her palm to the small space between his shoulder blades and feel the ridges of his bones beneath his skin.

 _A Hinata sort of place._

Before she could touch him he stepped inside, turning without looking at her again and grabbed her hand, dragging her through.

Dragging her to him.

The words were elbowing on her tongue again, all at once and none at all trying to get out- silenced when she stepped through the door and breathed in deep, feeling the air leave her lungs in _woosh_ that felt like good bye. She would never breathe again probably.

He had been right. It was a Hinata sort of place.

"How did you-?" she began and couldn't finish as she looked around.

The cafe was also a bookstore, and it might as well have been made for her.

Deep in the earth the only windows were high and the passing feet of people on the street broke the light in shafts, making the sun blink at them through the window panes. Inside everything was warm tones of brown, dark green and earth red. Cozy seeped off the walls. The space had a low ceiling held up by exposed raw wood pillars tangled in the arms of climbing ivy from huge ceramic pots on the ground twinkling with tiny lights all the way up their surface to the ceiling and along the exposed wood rafters and pipes.`

Sasuke's grip on her wrist slid, and she let it as the warmth of his hand enveloped hers.

This wasn't a finger tip touch, she could feel the ridges of his palm, and the curve of his long fingers along her own. She blinked and let it happen, trying to put the feeling blooming like springtime on steroids in her chest to words and failing.

"Come." He didn't look at her, just pulled her through.

The ground was bare smooth cement painted in a complicated geometric design in white and royal blue that she recognized from middle eastern paintings, beautiful and rugged in it's shabbiness on the floor.

A black stove that looked like it belonged in Little House on the Prairie grumbled hungrily as it ate away at wood, crackling and setting off a wave of heat as they passed.

Around it couches had been thrown every which way. All the living rooms of all the favorite aunts in the world were thrown into the space, with mismatched cushions and fuzzy blankets and funny side tables piled high with books.

Because that was what was most distinctive about the place, every surface, all the walls, every shelf was covered to overflowing, with books. The smell of old and new pages was tangled with coffee beans and mint from the counter at the back.

It was a makeshift counter, clearly not originally meant to be there, she could see that several old fashioned wine casks held up what appeared to be an old and weathered door in teal blue with glass on top to make it smooth and splinter free.

Behind it an actual kitchen counter ran along the wall, heavy laden with syrups and coffee bean options and pastries. Sitting dead center among the rest of the items was a contraption in shiny copper that looked as complicated as a steam engine as it puffed evaporated water, it's pressure dial dancing merrily. Above it a shiny white sign read "Sparky the Espresso Machine".

Above the chaos of the service counter a sign drawn onto a black wall shone with the emerald glare of the green chalk used to write it and the hundreds of hand drawn leafs that spilled in a backdrop behind the letters.

 _ **"Hidden Leaf Cafe and Bookstore."**_

Sasuke's hand was still holding hers. Coming back to her senses Hinata looked down at their palms, overwhelmed and trying to catch her breath.

"Old man," Sasuke called, leaning over the counter slightly to peer to the right.

Hiding behind a shelf that housed a variety of teas in shiny silver tins a man sat with a shock of white hair and a face that looked too young to house it. Lifting his gaze from his hands he blinked several times at the duo before his eyes smiled over the rim of his book. "Oh... my, my, my." He began slowly, lowering the text as carefully as he said his words. "Sasuke Uchiha."

Something about the way he said Sasuke's name made Hinata flush scarlet and a sound escaped her before she could snatch it back, high pitched and squashed.

Sasuke winced a little and squeezed her hand hard. "I'll order. I think there's a plug for your lap top over there." He gestured without actually pointing anywhere in particular and Hinata took her cue, skittering away before the scarecrow of a man on the other side of the counter slid off his stool and wandered over to them.

"You sent her away. It's like you don't want to introduce me or something." Kakashi drawled, leaning over the counter and watching the little pink bean that had walked into his cafe meander through the couches and chairs, picking books up every few steps to study their faces and backs, touching knick knacks as she went.

"That's because I don't." Sasuke replied. "I need a cinnamon roll and red tea." He continued, pulling out his wallet.

Kakashi leaned his chin in his hands, elbows on the counter turning his lazy gaze from the girl to the young man before him, and even though his grin was hidden by the cowl around his neck his eyes couldn't hide the amusement.

"You're ordering for her?" He let out a low whistle. "Wow... I've never seen you like this, Uchiha."

"Shall I go back there and grab it myself?" Sasuke replied, eyes fixed on his wallet, hoping his jacket hid the increasing heat at his neck.

"No way, I want to bring it to the lady myself." Kakashi snapped decisively. "Black coffee for you? Or are you now drinking it with sugar since you've developed a heart?"

"Black." Sasuke hissed, dumping bills on the counter in the same manner he would have spit. "And don't... don't do anything..." he struggled for a moment, trying to find the warning words to avoid being tortured in front of the Hyuuga.

Kakashi straightened, looking mildly amused and impressed at once. "Oh, dear lord." He laughed then. "Oh... no, I can't tease you now."

Sasuke flushed then, to his utter humiliation. "What?"

"Oh... oh man... when Naruto hears about this..." Kakashi continued to laugh, moving off to get the water boiling and the tea in a mug the size of a soup bowl. "Oh man... " He let out another chuckle bordering on a guffaw. "This is the _best_ day."

Glaring decidedly, but without as much venom as usual Sasuke sauntered away. "Idiot."

"Sasuke!"

Her voice was not the breathless confusion of before, it was sharp as a whip in cold air and he turned, finding her kneeling by a shelf that looked entirely unsafe. Levels of the piece of furniture were bowing under the immense weight of encyclopedias stacked every which way on the wood. Some of the smaller books had been crammed into it open because closed they didn't fit, their inside pages exposed indecently.

Hinata didn't seem to care, her eyes were wide as she waved a book at him, cheeks pink and eyes bright. "It's the Third Magic! I've been looking for this version of King Arthur for three years!" Her words were a tumble, all trying to get out at once, slipping and sliding as she tried to breathe at the same time. "And it's signed! Look! And I found a print of Peter Rabbit from it's 150th year anniversary, and it's got a newspaper clipping of an article someone wrote on the special print, see?" She flapped the piece of brittle newspaper at him, unaware of his intensifying stare.

"They only printed about 1000 of these, and it's in perfect condition, and, and, and..." she stuttered, a little breathless, pulling another book off the shelf to add to the growing pile on her knees.

Trying not to flap her arms like wings in her happiness she turned to him, her grin stuttering to a stop as she took him in.

He was tall when she was standing, and even leaning on the back of the couch nearest to her he loomed up above with her on the floor. But that wasn't what froze her. It was his face, cocked gently to the right, his mane of black hair always in a disarray shining in the dim light of the cafe, framing his pale features. Features that were smiling, the warmth reaching up into his gaze and seeping into her skin as warm as the shine of the sun coming through the high windows.

It occurred to her she was in trouble when her skin didn't brighten to an agonized red at his stare, or the knowingness within it. She just looked back for a long moment, feeling strangely comfortable, despite her heart fiercely beating inside her chest, a bird trying to find its way out of the cage of her ribs.

"Told you," His voice was calm, unaffected, even as he stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked away, cocking his head as though he were reading the sideways spines of the books on the shelf in front of him. "It's a Hinata place."

 _Yes._

She nodded, one slow up down of her chin. Her eyes however drifted, sliding from the smoothness of his cheek, and the curve of his prominent bones down the length of his neck, to the broadness of his shoulders, hunched a little. He seemed young then, and she was unsure of why, until her eyes took in the pink, so familiar she had hardly noticed it, smudged like blush powder along his neck, down into the folds of his shirt.

It wasn't until her hands itched to put the books down, to stand up and reach to touch the paleness of his skin. To make sure she wasn't imagining the heat that should be radiating from him if her eyes were truly seeing what she thought she was seeing. That's when she realized it fully, without question.

 _I'm...in trouble._

* * *

"Uzumaki open the door." Neji's voice had this way of being loud without being loud, the bass carried without any need to shout. And if that didn't accent his impatience, the way he banged the door and made it jump on it's hinges would certainly telegraph some of his anxiety.

"Neji." Tenten's snap made him glance at her out of the corner of his eye, noting the bruised pink of her mouth with some shakiness.

"You know, I heard this rumor that the Hyuuga were the first to develop ulcers and from the way you go about living, I believe it." Naruto grumbled as he opened the door, behind him holding his arm stood Sakura, jacket on and earmuffs in hand, her green eyes wide.

"Guys...what's up?" She looked first at Tenten and then with more hesitation glanced at Neji.

He opened his mouth but felt his words drown as Tenten cut in quickly. "Sounds like Hidan tried to start something with Sasuke and Hinata at the library earlier today." She glanced at Neji who was clenching and unclenching his jaw fitfully. "We were hoping they were here."

Naruto rolled his eyes at the Hyuuga before pushing his door open all the way and waving at the disaster inside. "Kind of not a lot of places to hide, ya know?"

"What are you doing?" Tenten blinked. Besides Naruto's usual disaster which she had seen before last Friday when she checked on Hinata asleep on Sasuke's bed, there were totes in gray piled all over any spare space and on both their beds.

Sakura waved a hand at the mess. "It's for the free skate on the pond in the park. It was cancelled because of the warm spell we had there but with the water frozen again the student body council wants to host it tomorrow." She smiled. "I was actually about to come over to ask if you'd be willing to help set up the decorations for it."

Neji was already moving to walk away when Tenten's arm shot out to grab onto his wrist, smiling ruefully at Sakura. "Um, I can in a bit, I think we need to locate the little Hyuuga before this one does in fact get an ulcer."

Naruto gave Neji a long look, silence not being something often associated with the blonde it drew a few confused glances between the girls and a frown from Neji.

"You better not be planning on beating up Sasuke because let me tell you he's small but scrappy."

"You know where they are." Neji stated, turning his attention on him fully.

"He's got a mean right hook and I don't even know, some of the moves he uses make me think he has no bones."

"Where are they, Uzumaki?"

Rolling his eyes again Naruto rubbed the back of his head hard, contemplating. "Aw fuck, he may as well deal with it now I guess. The old man told me they stopped by his coffee shop." he shrugged. "I guess Sasuke thought it was better to get her off campus with Hidan being a prick."

"Kakashi just texted a little bit ago." Sakura shifted nervously, watching Neji's frozen face for signs of murderous intent."Um... Sasuke wouldn't let anything happen to her, Neji I promise-"

"He knows about Friday." Tenten grimaced a little and Sakura's green eyes widened. "Oh."

"Where is the coffee shop?" Neji didn't even bother acknowledging the side conversation.

"I'll send you the directions." Naruto grumbled. "But you have to help set up this damn free skate thing, I'm not gonna be the only guy roped into it."

"How about you give me the directions and I don't-" Neji began moving to step forward. "DEAL!" Tenten cried, stepping between them. "We'll be right back to help!"

"Seesh." Naruto grunted, pulling out his phone. "Some people."

"Hyper." Tenten nodded, patting Neji on the arm and earning a look that was at once endearing and irritated. "I know."

* * *

She couldn't even look at the sketchbook. It existed out of her line of sight, tucked beneath a stack of her own books like his things and hers belonged together and always had.

Hinata sat on the floor, with a pillow under her bum and her knees drawn to her chest. Her laptop glowed on the coffee table beside her, but it was the printed text of their book that they spread all over the work surface, some pinned to places on Sasuke's color copies of his landscapes and illustrations.

Across from her the quiet young man was quieter than usual, brow furrowed, moving text around with long elegant movements of his fingers. Hinata should have been working too, instead her stomach was in a tangle of steadily tightening knots, watching instead the way the muscle beneath his skin moved along his forearms, bare because he had pushed his dark gray sweater up to his elbows.

She had not noticed the tattoo on the inside before, the black of the ink a stark contrast to his white skin. The blue of his veins almost looked like it had been placed there as artful flourishes around the dark lines of kanji.

Puzzled she cocked her head slowly to the right, trying to read the script and knowing that with her limited knowledge of Japanese she likely would not be able to figure it out.

"You're going to break your neck doing that." Sasuke's voice broke the silence to a thousand pieces.

With an 'eep!' or surprise Hinata sat back up rigidly, face flaming as she clenched her knees to her chest, eyes fixed on the table. "Ah! S-s-sorry! I...uh... I was...um." she flicked her eyes up to see him still studying the papers on the table, unaffected by her outburst.

Before an actual sentence could make the long journey from her brain to her mouth the tall lanky man from behind the counter approached, bearing a tray and a smile that was at once lazy and yet made Hinata feel like she was being x-rayed.

"Hello, hello." He half sang. Sasuke's responding glare was a formidable thing, and yet he seemed completely unaffected as he sat down on the couch beside Hinata, placing the tray on the side table. "Cinnamon bun and red tea as requested."

Sasuke's dark eyes had yet to leave his face. "You can go." It came out with a silent "or die."

"I'm introducing myself." Kakashi waved at him carelessly. "I'm Kakashi, I've known Sasuke for..." he thought for a moment, one finger to his chin. "Well, long enough to have heard his voice break a couple of times through puberty. So, too long."

Hinata's face broke into a smile despite her best intentions not to. The thought of Sasuke's voice cracking in adolescence was enough to make her press her lips together, attempting to remain stoic.

It was not working.

"You can laugh, I did." Kakashi pointed out. "He's used to it."

"Kakashi." Sasuke's voice was not breaking now, rather hitting an all time low of threat, more like a rumbling purr than a word.

"You are?" Kakashi continued, extending his hand to Hinata.

"Uh... Hinata." the girl replied, glancing at Sasuke in time to see him sigh and throw himself back into the chair he was occupying, arms crossed, jaw tight.

"Hinata!" Kakashi pondered this. "Sunshine, hm? How fitting." His gaze lifted then to Sasuke, still having not let go of Hinata's hand. "This one could use more sun."

"Okay, I will pay you to go." Sasuke sighed suddenly, a note of defeat tingeing his words.

"No need! I have cookies in the oven." Kakashi winked at Hinata and stood. "Lovely to meet you."

"...yes... um... nice to meet you too..." Hinata stumbled, watching him wander away humming to himself, pulling his book out of his back pocket to read while he went back to his counter.

Still looking exhausted Sasuke frowned after him, turning to look at Hinata at the same time she turned to look at him. Together they jumped and flushing grabbed at their work like it was a lifesaver in a sinking ship.

"So... um.." Hinata began, trying to find an sentence she could say that wouldn't be awkward or make her face burn. "...the book is due next week, but I... I think we're almost done, is the text placed on the title page okay?"

Across from her Sasuke stared at the paper in his hands without seeing it, listening not to her words but her voice harmonizing with the blood rushing in his ears.

"I...I have to talk to you about something."

This drew her gray eyes up to him, shoulders hunching. A sound escaped her in question, just a soft breath over her vocal chords that was one part nervous two parts curious.

Sasuke tried to look up at her, finding to his complete surprise that he couldn't. Frowning a little he threw the paper in his hands on the table and leaned back against the chair again, biting the inside of his cheek and noting with distaste the rapid up down vibration of his knee.

He had never taken himself for a coward and yet there he was, shaking like a leaf. Wondering if he was going to be sick he drew in a breath.

"So... the sketchbook..."

Hinata's eyes widened and slid slow like trickling honey to the book innocently buried beneath her own on his side of the table, pink lips parted although silence came from between them.

Unsure of how to proceed Sasuke stared at it as well, as if it were offensive before pushing her books off and taking it in his hands simply for something to do.

In his pocket her cell phone bit into his hip and he decided right then.

"I just need you to let me tell you some things without interrupting, okay?" He looked up for a moment and Hinata lifted her gaze from the sketchbook in his hands up to his face.

His dark eyes were refusing to look back, his mouth often so grouchy was set hard, bracing for something, pulling his lips so smooth and tempting between his teeth. It occurred to her then that his lips, always a soft shade of pink matched his cheeks.

She was not imagining it.

She was not.

Her hand slid slowly into her pocket where the card with her new words was, feeling the smooth curve of the paper in her jeans even as she tried to breathe.

This was the moment to say no, to save them both face because suddenly she had a very clear idea of what might be coming out of his mouth. As unbelievable and unlikely and mind boggling as it was. She had to get up, get out, apologize. Surely that was the right thing to do, the logical thing.

Taking a soft breath she began to say "I'm sorry,"

But instead what came out was:

"Yes...okay."

And then Neji walked in the door.

* * *

There was good luck, and bad luck and then there was Sasuke's luck, so bad it almost went right full circle into good again because maybe gutting himself and letting his heart pour out while she sat on the floor of the coffee shop with Kakashi watching intently from the sidelines was not such a great idea.

"Hinata."

A mixture of relief and full on anger flashed through Sasuke for a moment as he closed his eyes and glanced back over his shoulder to see the over protective Neji, and Tenten coming into the shop, cheeks pink and noses frozen from the cold outside.

Hinata was equally frozen, her pale eyes a wide reflective surface of confusion and then panic.

"N-n-nii-san!"

For reasons too numerous to count her face was flooding with blood and she scrambled to her feet, watching with growing alarm as Neji stormed towards them with the same lithe gait of a cougar with eyes on prey.

Sasuke glared back unimpressed, feeling the fight coming on from down in his toes.

"Uchiha."

"Hyuuga."

"Neji, you said you were-" Tenten began, scrambling forward after him.

"I hear you've been very interested in my cousin's welfare of late." Neji began and Sasuke stood, because the Hyuuga was simply too tall not to. Sasuke wasn't short but he could admit when someone had a few inches on him. Both Neji and Naruto were in that category so sitting when being snapped at didn't feel right. Never give an opponent an edge and all that.

Muscles tensing Sasuke drew in a breath. "Well, someone has to."

Hinata's eyes grew even bigger. "N-no! Stop it."

"Uh... gentlemen." Kakashi began hesitantly from the other side of the counter, laughing without any amusement. "Let's just..."

"Neji, you _said_ -" Tenten started again, brow furrowed as she grabbed his arm.

"What is _that_ supposed to mean exactly?" Neji leaned into Sasuke, searching his black eyes with interest. The kind he gave fillets before cutting them apart.

Hinata's hand was suddenly in Sasuke's pulling hard. "No." her voice was breathless, chest tight. "No, don't."

With words filling his mouth Sasuke slowly ripped his gaze off Neji and turned to her, teeth clenched. Her fingers anchored him to the floor, her face was closer than it had ever been and in the proximity he could smell her shampoo, something soft and fruity that was going to bug him to no end if he couldn't think of the name.

"Fine. You should probably go though." He muttered, turning around.

Neji blanched, an actual snap of his head back in surprise at being ignored so blatantly. "I was talking to you. I know about her staying the night with you on Friday."

Kakashi let out a sound like he'd been punched, followed by a girly squeak.

Hinata whipped around to look at Neji, her eyes disbelieving, mouth open. "Nii-san! It wasn't like that!"

Sasuke let out a long breath as he gathered up Hinata's books, shutting her lap top with a familiarity that did not escape Tenten's notice.

"Hush, Hinata." Neji snapped then, making her mouth fall open, eyes trained on Sasuke with determination and focus he didn't want disrupted.

That had Sasuke straightening in a hurry, walking around the couch that had separated them up till now with rapid steps. "Did you just tell her to shut up?" It was hardly a question, more of a clarification as he pushed his sleeves up to his elbows.

"What?" Neji frowned, settling into an open stance. "I'm talking to you right now, not her. You have no right to-"

Behind them Kakashi was giggling madly, hands to his mouth watching with widening eyes, uncaring that a fight might break out right there in his many living rooms. And it appeared that indeed there was no stopping it as the two men moved to step into each other's personal space, hands at the ready, jaws tense, eyes sharp. Between them electricity sizzled and snapped.

"Enough!"

Everyone turned then to see Hinata's white as paper face, her eyes tight and fists clenched. Stunned to silence they stared, trying to compute her tiny voice coming out knife sharp and coated in a nice thick layer of ticked off.

"We're leaving." She snapped, eyes trained on her cousin, and if she could have she probably would have set him on fire with her stare. Neji stayed perfectly still, aware that Tenten was shaking her head behind him, letting out a grumble that was too quiet for him to hear.

"I will meet you outside." Hinata continued, grappling with her voice to keep it steady. It was quite a job considering her knees felt shaky and her hands were clenched to keep them trembling but somehow it came out solid and her cousin frowned, disliking the tone.

"Hinata-"

"I _said_ ," She swallowed hard then. "I will be outside in just a minute, Nii-san. Please." Her eyes flickered behind him. "Tenten?"

"Come on." Tenten grabbed Neji's arm as if on cue, tugging him towards the door. "Come, you liar."

"I didn't touch him." Neji hissed back, following after her out the door with a last distrustful look at Sasuke who glared back with open dislike.

As soon as the door closed Hinata turned to Sasuke. "I.. I have to go." She whispered, suddenly shaking.

"I figured." He muttered darkly, picking her books and laptop up again. "Here."

"T-thank you... god, I'm so sorry..." she began, looking back at the door with growing disbelief. "I don't know what... I don't know what to do with him, he... he gets so..."

Sasuke shrugged. "I kind of don't blame him." Without a word he placed his sketchbook on top of her books in her arms.

Hinata paused again, staring at the dark leather before raising her eyes to his face hesitantly. "Um...a..about what you were going to-"

"I'll talk to you later." Sasuke cut in, shaking his head and then with a fierce growl that had the touch of the devil in it he turned to the service counter. "If that's a camera you're holding I hope you have insurance on it, Kakashi because I _will_ be breaking it."

Feeling untethered and confused Hinata stepped back as he stalked towards the counter where Kakashi let out a sound of discontent followed by a "Catch me if you can!" and a flash from the camera set off his run to the back room.

Sasuke didn't pause, hoisting himself over the counter and disappearing from her view, leaving her alone to wander to the door and out with her arms full, her eyes trained on the black leather sketchbook in her hands.

* * *

"Hinata Hyuuga, you slow down right now." Neji rarely used her full name- or even her first name. Usually it was Hime, or Hina. And likewise Hinata could count the times that she had called him Neji on one hand.

Neji Hyuuga was the single phrase that only passed her lips when explaining who she was related to, never in conversation with him. But then, there's a first time for everything.

"Y-y-you can't just come after me and... and pick fights with my friends out in public- with people watching a-and- and say things like- like..." Hinata stuttered, her anger having boiled over the moment the door of the coffee shop closed behind her and she was faced with an apologetic looking Tenten and an equally flustered looking Neji.

At this point in her life the pattern said she had to apologize and beg him not to do anything stupid while promising to take better care of herself.

Not today, Brother dear.

"You accused me of- of- of-" she paused, unable to say the words as they scurried through the crowd, surprising herself that she was even able to have an argument while they marched through the chaos of the streets. Thankfully the traffic was loud in the afternoon rush hour and the cold seemed to make everything crystallize and sound seemed to echo, bouncing around so she wasn't even sure anyone could understand it was her and her handsome cousin causing a commotion as they plowed on.

Trailing behind at a more leisurely pace and vaguely annoyed was Tenten, looking for all the world like a referee who had just given up on life.

"Indecent behavior?" Neji supplied helpfully. "Unseemly conduct?"

They had in that moment taken the turn onto the quieter street housing the entrance to campus and the crowds turned at the last corner leaving the two Hyuugas and now an awkward Tenten standing on the street, a trio of emotional tension in the winter chill.

Hinata's mouth was gaping wide, her little pink lips pulling back into what might have been a snarl on someone else's face. On her it was almost a pained expression, albeit a little more spicy.

"Indecent behavior?" she whispered. "You...you take that back _right_ now!"

"I would." Tenten added, and Neji shot her a look that was at once condescending and pleading over his shoulder. She glared back, arms crossed, wondering how much of what they had done earlier in her dorm room counted as "seemly."

"I don't appreciate you raising your voice." was Neji's brilliant reply.

For a moment Hinata didn't know what to do with her arms. They were full of books, one of which was Sasuke's sketchbook so she held on tight but what she really wanted to do was drop them on the floor so she could flap her arms and get some of the painful piling pressure on her chest to dissipate.

"Neji. Hyuuga." She hissed instead, eyes slits of pure disgust.

It was like she had used the worst swear word they both knew. Tenten watched the slack jawed surprise on Neji's face while she pondered what the worst word they knew was.

 _Probably bitch... or something cuter... dummy...maybe imbecile. Yes. It's probably imbecile._

"I can't tell you things because you do _not_ control your temper. Which _is_ unseemly and indecent. I had something _awful_ happen to me at the party and...and Sasuke is the only one who knows and he's been... He's..." Hinata paused, surprised to find a knot in her throat suddenly and angry tears pricking at her eyes.

Tenten paused, suddenly less amused, her hand coming down on Neji's shoulder blades gently, more to comfort him than restrain him as his face changed from shocked to concerned. "What?"

"Sasuke found me with Sasori, I.. I did a stupid thing and let him lead me off somewhere and...and I think he may have intended to..." Hinata breathed in, surprised at how upset she suddenly was. "Um, Sasuke showed up and got me out of there, and he's been... he's been really nice to me since. He walked me home when I couldn't find anyone and didn't leave me alone. I fell asleep in his room because I think I may have been in shock. We did not ... I didn't _do_ anything. And today Hidan was teasing, Sasuke would have done what you would but he didn't." She fixed him with a look. "Because he _listens_ to me, when I ask him not to."

Neji's head lowered, eyes fixed on the asphalt.

"Hinata.."Tenten whispered, brown eyes sad. "Why didn't you tell me? What did Sasori do?"

"N-n-nothing. He... he didn't get the chance. Sasuke feels I should have gone to the police-" Neji's head shot up then, gray eyes wide and to her shock looking wet. "-but... but he didn't actually... he just ripped my dress." she straightened her jacket with one hand nervously. "Sasuke...Sasuke was saying maybe suing him or the fraternity would not be impossible." She shrugged her shoulders, as though the weight of the problem were shifting around. "I haven't really wanted to think about it."

"Hime..." Neji's voice was soft as feathers. "You should have told us."

Tenten's grip on his hand was tight and it tightened more at the _us_. Hinata looked back at them, mouth set stubbornly if not sadly, gray eyes swimming in tears she was unwilling to shed. "How? How could I tell you and have you get kicked out of school- or maybe even arrested for assault? What if the fraternity tried to get back at you?" she gazed at him. "I...I want to protect you too." Sniffing a little she blinked back more tears. "What would I do without my brother here?"

Turning to Tenten Neji rubbed his face tiredly with the hand not holding on to her tightly. "You were right."

Tenten pursed her lips and then pulled him forward, shoving him at Hinata who hugged him with her handful of books held precariously to the side. "I'm almost always right. Let's just establish that right now so there's no future confusion, okay?"

Gripping his cousin hard to his chest Neji frowned as the winter sun washed the street in shades of gold through the ever greens that lined the sidewalks and the bare branches of the plum blossom trees that would bloom white and lavender in the spring time.

"Okay... no more secrets, please. And... I'll listen." Neji sighed, pressing a kiss to Hinata's forehead hard, studying her face. "Please."

"Okay." Hinata managed slowly, nodding.

"So?" Tenten shifted behind them, glad when Neji reached back to grab her hand as they continued walking at a much more leisurely pace. "Now what?"

"Now..." Neji muttered, his eyes distant as he began the slow process of gathering information on a target he planned to take down. "I need to figure out a way to destroy that stupid fraternity, or at least have them kick Sasori from it's protection."

For a few steps Hinata remained quiet, studying the shafts of blazing orange and gold light streaming through the trees.

 _One step forward, two step back_.

Dragging in a shuddering breath she whispered, "No. First apologize to Sasuke."

"I beg your pardon?" Incredulity's new name was Neji.

"And then ask him about suing." She slid her eyes to her cousin and away quickly, ignoring for all she was worth the heat rising to her cheeks, although Tenten's sharp gaze caught it easily, making her cock her head.

"You want me to apologize? For what? He wasn't bleeding when we left."

Hinata didn't say anymore, looking straight ahead.

On his other side Tenten pinched her mouth sideways a little, giving a shrug. "He's kinda growing on me considering all this new info I didn't have..."

Wrinkling his nose just a little Neji closed his eyes, praying for patience.

"Fine." He shot Hinata a look that was clearly sacrificial. "Fine. I'll apologize _."_

Smiling again, if only slightly Hinata sighed. "Thank you...Nii-san."

"Thank god, the _Neji Hyuuga_ thing was terrifying." Tenten grumbled. "Never do that again."

"Please." Neji added, throwing his arm over Hinata's shoulder and squeezing her a moment before letting go. "Never again."

* * *

 ** _leave me some love, ne?_**

 ** _inky_**


	13. Chapter 13

**_AN:_**

 ** _Um. you lovelies left me the nicest most inspiring reviews and I was grinning most of the day. So thank you for that._**

 ** _Also, sadness. We are near the end darlings. I knew this wasn't a long story and so it's coming rather rapidly to a stop but it still seemed to have snuck up on me. I hope I don't get stoned to death for it. This is just where it wanted to go._**

 ** _Much love to all of you, and I hope I don't butcher the ending._**

 ** _-Inky_**

 ** _to my lovely who asked for Shino and Kiba. I'm so sorry, we're so late in the story they don't really have a place to go, so they're going to stay out of it unfortunately. I think I wanted to high light Hinata's lack of experience with male relationships as a source of confusion for her which is why I didn't have them at first. Also she has so many people already protective of her I wasn't sure Sasuke could handle Neji, Tenten, Shino, Kiba Naruto AND Sakura all in his face about her without breaking someone's jaw. Sorry!_**

 ** _to my lovely who said that Hinata is very relateable. I'm so glad dear! I feel like she is too, but I wasn't sure. I'm glad you feel that way._**

 ** _to my lovely who asked if I was going to elaborate on Kakashi- I kind of wanted to, and I know more about how he fits in here but I think it may need to be done on the rewrite :( At least he got a shining moment. Also, darling I can't believe you've re-read a bunch of stuff of mine O_O. I can barely tolerate reading mine once or twice before I'm sick of it. I'm flattered! Try reading Giada Luna's stuff. It's excellent._**

 ** _to the lovely who asked about Tenten taking Hina to the party on Friday: a) Tenten didn't know it would be at Akatsuki either. b) they were going to stop by quickly not end up in the mess they did and c) she figured a normal party wouldn't have scared Hinata as much as it did. Like, one without dj's and stop light colors etc._**

* * *

Most of the evening had been spent stringing lights on the naked trees that surrounded the pond in the park across the street from the campus. It was a shallow little thing, with only some stubborn fish and even more stubborn turtles who lived there in the summer time.

During the winter the park was a flurry of evergreens, coated in the white of snow and frost, sparkling early in the morning, and shining in the too quick afternoons before plunging into black. With the willows and cedars on the park borders it was too dark to see the streetlights from the roads and only occasional lamp posts dotted the beaten mulch path that circled the pond in a lazy kindergarten scribble for a circle.

Working through into the dark Hinata had been shaky and excited and sick all at once as she passed strings of lights to her cousin and Tenten who were precariously balanced on the ladders against the trees. Her thoughts tangled themselves like the electrical wires in her hands, her heart skipping around giddy and scared whenever Sasuke filtered through her thoughts.

"Why isn't the student council doing this again?" Tenten inquired. "It's their idea isn't it?"

"We are." Sakura grumbled, throwing a hand across the pond to the other three people none of them knew busily helping string pretty old fashioned triangle banners across the trees to create a more enclosed space surrounding the ice.

"There's four of you? For the entire university?" Tenten's voice carried a lot of her disbelief and then her face slid into a smile full of sympathetic amusement. "Oh, I'm sorry."

"It looks good on a resume!" Sakura defended, letting out a foggy breath that made her seem dragon-like and fierce as she picked up another box of string lights. "I guess I'm a little nerdy."

"Oh, babe." Naruto sighed from the top of one of the ladders. "We all know."

"You shush!" Sakura snapped, chucking a pine cone at him and making him wobble precariously before hugging a branch of the tree for dear life.

"I hope there's a good turn out despite the short notice." Sakura mumbled more seriously. "We were supposed to do it near Christmas but of course that's when the weather gets all funky. I had Shikamaru, Ino, Sai and Lee putting up signs all over the place today."

"I'm sure there will be a lot of people." Hinata soothed, trying to get the lights untangled in her hands and only looking more confused with each passing moment. "There is not much to do in winter time. People are always happy for something fun after dark."

"That's the spirit." Sakura smiled at her, eyes flickering to Neji busy tangled in his own line of lights on top of the ladder. From the ground now Tenten was shaking her head at him, trying to keep the long string from knotting.

"How's it going? You okay?" The green eyes of her friend glowed in the newly lit bulbs of the lights Hinata held and in the pretty luminescence Hinata smiled, happy to be present to see the beauty.

"Oh. Yes... it... I think, I did rather well." She admitted, blushing at her proud tone despite herself. Sakura's grin was instant. "Neji sure looks a lot more calm than when he asked us where you guys went." A little too subtlety she added. "Uh... and Sasuke...?"

Hinata kept her eyes firmly on the lights, as though the knot in her hand was a riddle that needed urgent solving.

"Where is he, do you know? Naruto said he hasn't seen him since this morning and Kakashi said he left the cafe already."

"Oh, Mr. Kakashi was very nice." Hinata replied, sidestepping anything to do with Sasuke nervously. "I like him."

"Yeah..." Sakura mused. "Just don't ever ask him what he reads."

Puzzled, Hinata glanced at her then. "Huh?"

"Hina, you should go back to the dorm." Tenten called from her place beneath the tree Neji was draping in lights. "We're going to be done soon anyway, and you haven't even had dinner, I know you."

Hinata shifted when Neji glanced over at her sharply. "It's nearly nine at night, Hime. You haven't eaten?"

"No...well..." she paused for emphasis, letting her gray eyes linger on his for a moment. "I was going to have something at the cafe, but then..."

"But then the Hulk showed up." Tenten finished, giving Neji an exaggerated shake of her head.

"Sorry." Neji muttered. "I feel like I'm doing a lot of apologizing today."

"It's okay." Tenten smiled. "Makes good practice." Turning to Hinata she cocked her head. "I have some granola and yogurt in the fridge. The cafeteria will be shut down by now."

"Okay." Hinata sighed, unable to ignore the fact she was freezing and tired and really missing her bed. "I suppose I'll see you later then."

"If you see Ino," Sakura grumbled. "Tell her I'll remember how helpful she was tonight any time she asks me to please do her laundry for her, k?"

Smiling ruefully Hinata nodded. "All right."

Stretching tiredly she hoisted her bag up onto her shoulder and began the slow trek around the pond, climbing over the old stone bridge that crossed it at the thinnest point of the watery circle. She listened to her steps on the rock before turning up towards the campus and street lights beyond the fringe of green trees.

The park was a subtle beauty. There were no great flowering bushes, or majestic cherry blossom trees but the street that housed it's entrance was lined with slim plum blossoms that coated the black asphalt in their lavender hues during April. The willows swung their long cascading tendrils in the breeze of spring and summer and the reeds grew tall and sharp from the pond water among the lily pads dotted with the yellows and whites of the waterlilies.

Glancing back just once Hinata smiled. At least for the one night the park would also look pretty in the winter. The water was a smooth sheet thanks to the work of the hockey team brushing down the ice, smoothing out the ripples that could trip people up. The triangle banners were festive and bright with the lights of the trees glowing warm and cozy. Sakura had said that there would be hot chocolate and popcorn to buy by donation, and a few fire pits for roasting marshmallows on sticks. Hinata turned back to the campus with a grin, realizing she was rather excited for the actual event if not the set up.

Walking slowly through the crunch of snow she paused, feeling a jittery nervousness that was unfamiliar and not entirely unpleasant as she wondered if perhaps Sasuke would be attending...

A buzz in her jacket pocket made her pause and surprised she reached down, pulling the cell phone out to study as she crossed the street and headed to her dorm room.

 **Hey**

She cocked her head curiously at the funny one word message. She couldn't remember the last time they had said hello. Their conversation seemed ongoing and endless therefore lacking in need of a beginning.

Sometimes it picked up right where it left off even after 12 hours of silence, due to sleep (hopefully) or lack of time (always). Other times they would start off without introduction, just a phrase, comment or question thrown out to the other person like a lifeline meant to drag them into their boat.

Something about the single word made her think it was shy and puzzled a little she began to type.

 ** _Hi, what are you up to?_**

 **Trying to study**

 ** _I get the feeling it's not working?_**

 **I seem to be thinking about you instead.**

Hinata stopped at the door of her dorm, staring at the text, pale eyes reading the sentence over and over again as though she was misunderstanding. Perhaps she was reading into it? Had she deleted a message before this one? In the cold and gold glow of the motion sensor light by the dormitory entrance she pressed the cell phone to her forehead, eyes closed.

 _...Oh no..._

The silence must have dragged on too long because against the fringe of her hair the phone buzzed again.

 **So, did you end up going two steps forward or one step back today?**

Unsure now Hinata opened her door and stepped into the warmth of the building, climbing the stairs to her room slowly, reading his texts again and again with growing dismay.

 ** _I think forward...I hope it was forward. Although, maybe not. I'm not sure._**

 **You should trust yourself more.**

 ** _I don't know... I may be an awful person._**

 **I very much doubt that.**

For a moment Hinata almost said the words they had silently agreed never to say. Her fingers moved, typing out the phrase. **_You don't know that. Because, you don't know me._** But before she could send it she studied it, her stomach twisting into knots that hurt more than her hunger. With a worried frown marked firmly on her forehead she deleted the unsent text and replied with as much kindness as she could muster.

 ** _There's an event happening at the park across the campus tomorrow night. They turned the pond into a skating rink, I hear it's going to be a lot of fun. Are you perhaps going to that? Maybe we can exchange phones then?_**

 **I was actually going to ask you about going to that.**

Hinata flinched then at the almost invitation, sitting on the bed nervously.

 **I'll be there.**

 ** _Okay, me too. My cousin and a lot of my friends will be there. One of them is organizing it._**

In the dark of her room with only the light from the lamp post outside she sighed, feeling awful. Only a few days ago she had been texting this boy in the middle of the night, asking his advice, telling him about Friday.

Now she was putting lines of poetry together about a pair of dark eyes and feeling guilty. Rubbing her forehead hard she slid to lay down on her bed, frowning at the phone.

Ignoring her reply her phone buzzed on a completely new line of thinking.

 **What is something that is both exciting and frightening?**

 ** _Um. Like petting a lion?_**

 **I suppose if it's something you wanted to do in the first place it could be exciting. Personally I wouldn't be too pleased, but okay. Try another one.**

 ** _Starting a new job you really wanted._**

 **Yes but boring. Try again.**

 ** _This is a strange game._**

 **Maybe you'll win.**

 ** _Um... sky diving?_**

 **There it is.**

 ** _What would you say is exciting and frightening?_**

 **Falling in love with someone.**

In the light of the cell phone glow Hinata winced and closed her eyes, dropping the phone to the floor and letting the darkness of her bedroom overwhelm her.

 _I have to get my phone back. I have to do it tomorrow. I have to say I'm sorry._

Biting her lip she pushed herself to her back and watched the shifting light of the lamp post outside make patterns on her ceiling while lines of poetry ran through her head.

 _the black of your gaze_

 _is not light absent_

 _but the infinity of space_

 _you swallowed all my stars_

 _I'm not even fazed_

 _maybe I'll taste them_

 _maybe I'll taste them..._

 _on your lips_

Hinata went to bed without dinner that night. There was no room for food where she housed her nerves, excitement and guilt.

* * *

It was almost ten by the time that Naruto showed back up at the dorm room and Sasuke was in bed, a book beside his head on the pillow and the light on but his eyes firmly fixed on the ceiling.

Despite his coat, hat, mittens and scarf the blonde's nose was red and his ears pink. "Yo." He grumbled a little as he walked into the room, ripping off articles of clothing quickly. "I hope you're wearing pajamas under there because you have a visitor at the front door."

Sasuke turned his dark eyes to Naruto, sparkling black onyx stones of confusion. "What?"

"Hyuuga." Naruto waved over his shoulder and Sasuke was suddenly sitting up like a bolt of lightning, face tense.

"No, no." and his friend laughed then, giving his shoulder a quick shake. "The other Hyuuga. The less adorable one."

"Open with that information next time." Sasuke snapped, pushing him off as he grabbed a sweater to throw over his head, shoving his hands into the pockets of his black and red flannel pajama pants.

"No way." Naruto's grin was wide as a banana. "You should have seen your face." He patted his back as he passed him to the door. "I don't blame Kakashi for trying to get you on camera around her."

"That _fucking_ camera. If you know where it is you better tell me. He hid it before I could destroy it." Sasuke hissed and before Naruto could guffaw at him he slammed the door. Walking down the empty hall lined with closed doors to the glass dormitory entrance, he could see Neji standing in the halo of light with his hands in his pockets and his jacket collar pulled up. At his elbow, as it seemed she always was now, stood Tenten shivering.

Sighing internally Sasuke opened the door.

"Because she's here I'm letting you in." He explained, nodding his chin at Tenten who was squinting in the freezing wind. "If it was just you I'd stand on the other side of the glass for a while to watch you freeze your ass."

"Lovely as always, Uchiha." Neji grumbled, pushing Tenten into the foyer and following. As soon as the door closed the hiss of the incoming snowfall was locked behind the glass and only the buzz of the fluorescent lights brightening the hall hummed.

Tenten eyed Neji for a long moment and exasperated she waved at Sasuke. "Go on."

Jaw tight the Hyuuga turned to Sasuke standing with his arms crossed against the chill he had invited into the building, frowning at him openly, mouth in a relaxed half grimace. "What?"

"I'm... here to apologize." Neji began slowly, gaining momentum over the next few words. "My cousin was able to elaborate some things to me that I did not know." He drew in a breath and then, less stiffly he added. "I appreciate what you did for her, when you walked in on Sasori." His gray eyes darkened. "Although it would have been nice to see him sporting a cast or something."

Sasuke stared at him for a moment, moving his black eyes from Neji's strangely familiar gray gaze to Tenten's half amused brown. "Come again?" He finally managed, carefully maintaining a straight face even as his chest constricted with what he thought might be a laugh and his face itched to crack with a wide smirk.

 _She made him apologize... she made him apologize to me._ His heart was doing a strange thing he had not felt before and for a moment he wondered if it was normal or if he was dying. It was not a worrying thought, just a curious one.

"Don't be a jerk." Tenten sighed, watching a muscle in Neji's jaw flex.

"I'm sorry about my behavior earlier." Neji repeated with some struggle after a moment of silence followed Tenten's remark. Sasuke just looked back at them, lips pressed hard into a thin line of control. Before he could reply Neji's voice cut in again. "Although, you should have just sent him to the hospital, honestly."

Dragging in a slow breath Sasuke sighed, processing this new information rapidly before replying coldly. "There was no time for that. She was outside..." he paused, glancing at Tenten for reassurance that the next words out of his mouth weren't going to result in him getting written up for fighting in his dorm. "...her dress was in tatters. She was in shock."

Neji's jaw flexed hard and he breathed in air as though it wasn't serving him as well as it usually did.

"I think I may have been in a bit of shock myself." Sasuke admitted suddenly, voice changing. Tenten's eyes widened as she studied his face, mouth popping open only to snap closed abruptly. Neji glanced at her confusedly while Sasuke tensed, realizing he had said too much.

"Tenten, what?"

"Nothing- just... it's awful." She stammered, watching Sasuke's dark eyes boring into her face. "Um..." she paused and rubbing at her neck sighed. "I think I may owe you an apology too, Sasuke."

This made both the boys start, brows raised and looking a little wary like perhaps this was a trap and they were the prey.

"What?" Neji spluttered.

"Well, I was channeling you a lot I guess." Tenten shot him a look. "I think I may have been a little rude." Her brown eyes shifted to Sasuke then, something both knowing and almost friendly flashing over her face. "I'm sorry for that."

Sasuke shrugged, unsure of what to say. Neji apologizing was one thing, mostly it's worth was tied to Hinata's obvious role in it. With Tenten Sasuke almost felt bad.

"Although... I'm not going to lie, when Hinata slapped you at the party I may have wanted to applaud. You deserved that one, and I'm not sorry, but... I didn't thank you for taking care of her after because I didn't know... or rather, I didn't know the extent of what you did. I should have said thank you anyway, even if it was just for what I knew about."

"Hold on." Neji looked back and forth while Sasuke tried to keep his lips pressed tightly together. "Hinata _slapped_ you?"

With the inside of his cheek firmly between his teeth Sasuke just looked back at him, unflinching.

Tenten made a face. "I keep forgetting to mention stuff," she admitted. "A lot happened that night."

" _She_ slapped _you_?" Neji's gray eyes swiveled back to Sasuke.

" _I_ certainly did not hit _her_." Sasuke snapped back.

"Wow." Neji allowed, wondering if perhaps that was the first time he had ever used that expression, blinking at the freezing cold outside with eyes unseeing. "Wow."

"So that's that. If there was even the slightest doubt she was related to you." Tenten grumbled, waving at the door. "Now we all know for sure. Please, let's go."

"Also," Neji continued after a moment, nodding at Tenten. "Hinata mentioned that you thought suing either the fraternity or Sasori was a possibility. Is that something that you have run by your brother or is this just something you speculate?"

Sasuke let his eyes level with the Hyuuga calmly. "I don't speculate. If she wants, our legal team is capable and willing to take on the case."

"There's no need. We have our own from Hyuuga Industries and I'm sure my uncle will want to be closely involved." Neji frowned. "I was just wanting to see if-"

"It would serve her best to have the teams at least working in tandem." Sasuke tried again, attempting not to stiffen in his presence and telegraph more of his dislike than he had to. "Leave no stone unturned."

Eyeing him intently Neji frowned. "But why would...?"

"Because!" Tenten jumped in suddenly, while Sasuke opened his mouth with no answer in mind other than to call him a dumb ass. "Akatsuki is an old and respected fraternity and I'm sure has powerful lawyers of it's own- wasn't your brother Akatsuki, Sasuke? Surely there's other high profile members who could pose a problem. If the Uchiha team is not necessary they can quietly leave it to the Hyuuga." She shot a look at Sasuke then and he murmured. "Right... make sure all your bases are covered."

Glancing back and forth Neji frowned a little. "Hm...okay." He nodded. "I would appreciate it if I could speak with Itachi. Could I have his contact information?"

Nodding Sasuke sighed, glad to see him holding on to the door to leave. "I need to see Hinata again tomorrow... the project is due next week and we need to send it into the printers. If she can, I'd like to see her at the library at around noon. I could give her the information or you could meet us there as well."

"I'll be there." Neji put in quickly. "I'll let her know."

Nodding again Sasuke watched as Tenten shoved her hands in her pockets, giving him a small knowing smile before stepping out into the frigid night with Neji.

As the door closed Naruto's blonde head poked out into the hall, looking serious. "Do you think maybe those buns on her head are extra eyes? She caught on to you in two seconds flat."

"Fuck." Sasuke grunted, storming back into the room and into his bed.

Naruto was right, of course. She had absolutely caught on.

He was running out of time.

"Let me see your phone." He muttered, flopping onto his back with his eyes closed and hand outstretched.

Slouched in his desk chair Naruto rubbed his chin and smirking threw the cell at him, unimpressed when Sasuke caught it blindly.

With the phone ringing in his ears Sasuke sighed, rubbing at the headache starting between his eyebrows.

 _"...Uzumaki? It's kind of late to be calling. Tell me my brother isn't dead or in police custody, please."_ Itachi's voice pumped through the phone and Sasuke grunted irritably.

"When have I ever done anything to merit that kind of reaction?"

 _"Oh good, you're alive."_

"You're going to get a call from a Hyuuga tomorrow at noon. Can you make sure to take it please?"

 _"...If it's Hinata, sure."_

"No." Sasuke's snap was decisive and Itachi's chuckle made him roll his eyes. "No, it's the barely tolerable cousin."

 _"Oh, Neji Hyuuga. I believe I may have met him."_ Then a long pause followed. _"Is he out to get me for taking his little cousin out on that lunch? You're in close proximity to him, hasn't he beat you up for it yet? Why does he have to bother me?"_

"No. It's about... Akatsuki."

 _"Uh oh."_

"You know... how you walked in on Sasori sometimes... "

 _"...Sasuke."_

"Well, Hinata had never been to a party before..."

 _"Shit."_

"And...I found her with him..."

 _"Why the fuck did you not maim him?"_ Itachi's cool sophisticated voice rarely had the need for swearing. Language was something he wielded like a sword and any insult he wanted to inflict was better done with a soliloquy than cursing. Sasuke paused to take that in for a moment, wondering how taken his brother really was with Hinata before responding.

"Everyone keeps saying that." Sasuke mused, pressing his hand to his forehead as he thought. "I'm starting to think it gives me leave to indulge."

"I'm free to help right now." Naruto put in calmly while he scribbled something at his desk.

 _"You can't touch him now_." Itachi snapped, his mood decisively less cheery. _"I wish you had told me earlier. I could have had our legal team working on this days ago."_

"It wasn't my secret." Sasuke replied calmly. "She decided to speak to her cousin today."

 _"I'll take the call from the cousin. Hyuuga has an impressive corporate legal team anyway. I doubt this will be an issue."_ For a second he was quiet again and then. _"If he tries anything it should fall under self defense or defense of another... in case you're there."_

It took Sasuke less than a second to realize his brother was giving him the green light to break Sasori's nose if he was offered an opportunity. Oddly enough it wasn't his permission he'd be seeking, but rather the nod from a pale eyed tender hearted girl he didn't think would approve of unnecessary violence.

"Right." He said anyway, glancing at Naruto who grinned back with vicious blood thirsty mirth.

"I doubt it will come to that." He added, for both the blonde and his brother's ears.

 _"I know Sasori."_ Itachi muttered darkly. _"If he sees you with Hinata he's going to think you took his plaything without asking. He won't be able to resist."_

"Good thing I like breaking faces then." Sasuke's voice was silk on water, smooth and calculating. Making Sasori bleed would be easy. It was making sure that he didn't disregard Hinata that would take a little more work.

* * *

Sitting on the floor by their coffee table Hinata looked up from her bowl of granola and yogurt watching as Tenten threw clothes from their closet onto the bed, uncharacteristically flustered and annoyed.

"It's so cold outside. All I want to do is wear my thermal undies and jeans. But what is less sexy than thermal undies?"

"Incontinence diapers." Ino supplied from Hinata's made bed, her blue eyes fixed on the magazine she was flipping through slowly. "Also, your lady bits falling off due to frost bite."

Hinata's face twisted with disgust for a moment as she chewed on her breakfast, suddenly less hungry.

"Ino, sometimes I think you must not hear the things that come out of your mouth." Tenten began, and although she was trying to be stern her voice wobbled with amusement.

"She doesn't listen to herself." Sakura said, hanging off Tenten's bed upside down. Her pink hair a mane over the light blue covers, her green eyes a brightness that looked unreal with the light of the window glittering over them. Outside the world was a soft expanse of snow. In the early morning the snowflakes had come in a flurry, leveling everything into a white world soft and muted, crystallizing the branches of trees and putting white top hats on all the the black lamp posts.

"I have selective hearing. Makes life more pleasurable." Ino replied.

"Why are you stressing anyway?" Sakura continued, listening to the pounding of her blood rushing to her head. "He already thinks you're all that and a bag of chips. All we're doing today is finishing the set up for the skate. You don't have to be dressed up."

Tenten frowned at her tops, eyeing all the t-shirts and long sleeves and high necks curiously. She had comfortable school gear. She had training gear. She had Sunday church dresses. Nothing in between.

"I guess."

"I have this theory that he's been attracted to you from the moment he saw you come back sweaty from a good run, all pink in the face and windswept." Ino remarked candidly, flipping a page on her magazine. "Because ya know... that's how you'd look if he-"

"Ino!" Tenten slapped her hands over Hinata's ears, although the girl was already a bright shade of red, her mouthful of granola frozen mid chew in her mouth, eyes wide at Ino. "Not in front of the child."

"I... I was going to go anyway." Hinata laughed nervously, moving to stand, depositing her disposable bowl in the garbage as she wandered to the door.

"Where to? Aren't your classes cancelled?" Sakura sat up, squinting at her a little dizzily.

"Sasuke wanted to meet you at the library, but I thought that wasn't until later." Tenten added. Frowning at them a little Hinata shrugged into her purple coat. "Um, why am I getting interrogated?"

"Because." Sakura smiled wide. "Without your phone when you disappear young men become very upset."

"You mean Nii-san?" Hinata slammed a hat over her pigtails. "I think that he'll be better from now on."

"Amen." Tenten grumbled, throwing another shirt into the closet with dislike.

"I don't mean your _Nii-san_." Sakura cocked her head at her, still smiling.

Hinata's nose twitched and as she wrapped her scarf around her face to hide Tenten, Ino and Sakura all pondered how she managed to look like a bunny when she did that. "I'm just going for a walk. It's nice out, and... this way you can talk all about Neji-nii without me." She added, lifting her pale eyes to Tenten.

The role reversal was quite stark as Tenten flushed, laughing sheepishly while Hinata fixed her with a small impish grin. "I just want to clear my thoughts a little."

And despite Sakura's protests she was out the door, calling out a quick "Bye!"

Pouting a little Sakura let her head drop to her shoulder, studying the door intently enough that she could almost see through it.

"It's Sasuke." She finally said into the silence.

Ino snorted. "Duh."

"Oh no, if anything it's Sasuke for her- I saw him yesterday." Tenten muttered, tossing another shirt into the closet, vowing never to a buy a T-shirt again. "He was trying to hide it but no go."

"You think she's going to say no?" Sakura glanced at Tenten then, genuine worry lining her face as she sat up. "I don't know how Sasuke would fare with that. I'm worried about him."

"Funny, usually I would have been worried about Hinata." Ino frowned at her. "Am I missing something?"

"Oh, lots." Sakura and Tenten said together. Then before Ino's face could slide from surprised to inquisitive Tenten continued. "If I know Hina at all she's thinking about it." she sighed as she settled with another pile of neatly folded shirts in front of her, inspecting each one. "He just has to not mess up."

Sakura blinked at her thoughtfully, letting that sink in.

"One thing he's doing right though," Tenten continued, wincing at a faded T-shirt of a band she no longer listened to before throwing it over her shoulder. ", is that he listens to her, and listens well enough that she's noticed."

"She said that?" Sakura's eyes brightened then, her excitement shooting from her toes to the tips of her ears. "Hinata said that?"

"She said he listens to her." Tenten shrugged. "That's huge in Hina's world."

"We listen right?" Ino searched back and forth between her friends. "We're Hina listeners right?"

"Most of the time." Sakura allowed, flopping back onto Tenten's bed. "Ya know... except for last Friday."

"What'd I miss?" Ino's voice sounded incredulous. "Something juicy, huh?"

"Oh man." Tenten shook her head. "You have no idea."

Ino stood, moving into Hinata's closet to pick out a shirt that the gray eyed girl had never worn and would never. It was too low a cut for her bust, and too tiny a waist for her hips, but it was black and it was dotted all over with polka dots that looked like throwing stars.

"Wear this. With your comfy jeans and thermal underwear-sexiness be damned. They'll make your ass look amazing anyway." She offered it to Tenten who blinked and then grinned. "Thanks."

"Now, tell me what you two are all secretive about or I'll have to come up with theories and you don't want that."

* * *

The snow had always been one of Hinata's favorite things. Looking out through the glass door of her dormitory lobby she smiled, drinking in a deep breath of the freezing air as she stepped outside.

Everything always looked so clean in the cover of a fresh snowfall. Muddy cement and brown weather beaten grass disappeared beneath the cover of cotton and with the touch of the cold the air was crisp and fresh, reminding her of mint.

The campus was empty. Classes had been cancelled since bus service had been suspended. In the windows of the dorm rooms she could see the bright lights and the movements of students all taking the much needed rest to heart, hiding from the frigid morning within their cozy bedrooms. Only a handful of students could be seen heading towards the only two things open on the campus, one being the cafeteria and the other being the library in the distance.

On her side of the grounds the snow was still thick over the walkways and undisturbed where near the faculty buildings she could see the grounds keepers had begun to shovel and salt a path through the ice.

Glancing left and right for a moment to see if anyone was around Hinata wandered over to the tall sycamore that shaded the dorm in the summer months and with nerves tinged with childish enthusiasm spread her arms out and let herself fall backwards into the foot high snowfall.

Poof!

The snowflakes puffed around her and the bite of the cold nibbled at her legs and neck, letting out a muffled laugh of joy she squinted at the brightness of the winter sun above the sycamore branches before closing her eyes and moving her limbs to make a snow angel.

Back home on the Hyuuga grounds when they had been little, Hinata, her sister and cousin would leap from the bed on snowfall days. Bare foot and daring they would dash through the house in the stillness of the morning, even more hushed by the oppressive push of the water suspended in the sleep of winter ice.

Together, holding hands all three would stand on the wood porch in the backyard where the snow always piled high. With tightly gripped fingers on each other at the count of three all of them would throw themselves backwards into the bite of the cold in their flannel pajamas, pumping their arms and legs to make their angel shapes before scrambling out of the freezing cold giggling madly.

The warm bath after was always painful on the toes as they defrosted, but soothing everywhere else. Without the bite of the cold on her back at least once each winter, it didn't feel like she had been present for the season.

Once her snow angel was firmly made Hinata lay still, watching the light try to pass through her closed eyelids, glad for the silence. Her friends had appeared before she had even got out of bed and their bantering chatter was both comforting in that it didn't allow her to think too hard about the cell phone conversation that had hurt her stomach, and irritating because she wanted to have a moment to think about a certain boy with ebony black eyes and she couldn't with their white noise.

Letting out a sigh she touched the thought of him tentatively in her mind, like it might bite if she handled it too roughly. Her fingers tingled where he had held onto her yesterday and her mind wandered slowly to the sketchbook tucked beneath her mattress in her room filled with drawings of her.

 _...how is he so cute and scary at the same time...?_

"I would say I'm surprised to see you this way, and yet I really am not."

With a gasp Hinata opened her eyes to stare up at Sasuke's face peering down at her from above where he crouched, leaning over a little so he could see her clearly and block the sun daring to blind her.

Hinata stared at his upside down features, and despite the freezing touch of the snow around her she felt her body shoot to feverish. "Sasuke!" her voice finally kicked his name out of her mouth like a jolt of electricity to a limb and she sat up hard, cracking both their foreheads together with a snap.

"Ouch!" She gasped, slapping a hand on her head blushing in a terrible way. She reached over to his face, pushing his hands to see the red welt forming on the smoothness of his forehead. "Ah! I'm so sorry! I-I-I'm so dumb!"

Wincing a little Sasuke sat on the snow on his butt, watching her flounder for a moment, her pigtails askew on her shoulders.

"That was a good one." He admitted dryly, rubbing his own forehead before shoving her bangs back with his hand. "Are you bleeding?" He sounded incredulous as he pushed her hat and hair back with cold fingers. "You're bleeding."

"Huh?" Hinata just stared at him, aware of his fingers on her hair and head like she would be aware of a red hot iron brand on her skin. Dazed she reached up and brushed her hand on the wetness on her skin, pulling back to see a bit of blood on the soft pads of her fingers. "Oh."

"What were you doing?" He asked this almost as a way to keep the silence from getting heavy and oppressive over them, fiddling in his pockets for tissues. Sakura was always shoving packets of them in Naruto's pockets and when he was annoyed with too many to use he would shove them into Sasuke's pockets in order to share the irritation. It was a winter time thing she did. That and hand sanitizer. In the summer it was tiny bottles of sunblock and aloe vera.

When they were younger they had called her Girl Scout to annoy her.

Finding one of the tissue packets he pulled out a handful and shoved them against her head, frowning at the wound mildly while she continued to stare at him as if he were some creature from a book she had thought was fiction.

"Um... making... snow angels." she supplied after a moment. Then after another second and a frown she added. "What were _you_ doing?"

"Making sure you weren't passed out." He retorted at her tone, giving her a look that made her jam her lips together and look sheepish. "Oh."

"Good thing you have bangs." He muttered a moment. "If your cousin saw you with that and found out I had anything to do with it there might be trouble."

At the mention of Neji Hinata sat ramrod straight, grabbing his arm to pull from her face so she could look at him earnestly. "My cousin! I'm so sorry about yesterday, I... I told him he had to-"

"He already apologized." Sasuke interrupted mildly, shoving himself to his feet and grabbing onto something that he had evidently dropped at the impact of their skulls against each other. "He came by very late yesterday with Tenten." He eyed her then at the mention of Tenten, watching to see if something happened to her face to indicate the girl had blabbed but Hinata remained sitting in the ice and snow, holding onto her hat and staring at him.

"Oh they did? He... he said sorry?" she blinked a little, wondering if maybe she had a concussion or if this was just the effect of being in close proximity to Sasuke. "I don't know if I actually thought he would."

"It was awkward for everyone involved." Sasuke elaborated easily, reaching a hand down to help her to her feet and slowly Hinata took it, straightening her bangs with shaky fingers before shoving her hat back on.

Looking at her with her cheeks pink and her nose cold he had the sudden almost uncontrollable urge touch her cheeks, to slide his fingers over her lips and breathe in the smell so fruity and clean that had made him heady at the bookstore yesterday. Swallowing hard he took a breath.

"I have to go," He was saying suddenly, pushing books at her abruptly. "I just came by to give you these. Choji and Shikamaru were supposed to be helping Naruto with things for the free skate but Choji bailed." He shrugged. "I have to help or Naruto is on his own with Shika."

Hinata's cold fingers wrapped around the books then, studying their faces. "Oh... it's...it's the Third Magic and the Peter Rabbit from Mr. Kakashi's shop." she started. "How much were they?" she looked up. "I had completely forgotten to-"

"It's a gift." Sasuke pushed them at her until they were pressed against her collarbone and she felt her mouth part again not in surprise so much as the continual daze of disbelief.

With his dark eyes purposefully fixed elsewhere he popped the collar of his jacket against the bite of the winter. Or at least he hoped that's what it looked like and not that he was trying to hide the rising heat to his ears. There had to be a way to get less pale without spending time on the beach. He had to find a way. This blushing thing was unacceptable.

 _Is this really happening to me right now?_ Hinata studied the faces of the books in her hands.

"...t..thank you."

"Hn." He nodded, taking a step back, and then another before clearing his throat. "I'll... I'll come by before the library in a few hours." he muttered, the stutter making him want to kick himself.

Hinata watched as he flashed his eyes at her for a second before looking away and then she couldn't help it. She had seen little boys on the playground treating her baby sister the same way. She had watched her friends with star struck wide eyed boys dazed by their entrance and exits. Always in the background she had never thought she would be at the receiving end of a nervous boy. And certainly not the prickly Sasuke Uchiha.

But then, that was before she had even opened the book, read the title page... traced the pattern of the font on the pages and pages that made him up. Breathing in softly she tried to stop it, but found it impossible.

She grinned, a full on unavoidable smile that made her blush and want to cringe at herself at the same time. "Okay."

"Okay." He looked surprised at her smile as he stepped back again, unwilling to turn his back to her and then with a deep breath he turned, shoving his hands into his pockets as he started away through the snow. A smudge of black against the white world spread out as far as her eyes could see.

With the smile frozen on her face Hinata jumped, turning to look up at the sound of a window opening on the second floor the moment Sasuke disappeared around the corner of the boy's dormitory. Sakura, Ino and Tenten were squashed at the window, their eyes wide as they peered down at Hinata.

"What the heck was that!?" Sakura shouted, green eyes a sparkly mess close to tears. "What was that! Come up here now! What did he give you?"

"Look at her face!" Ino squealed and Hinata slapped a hand to her cheeks to try to shove the grin down a notch. " _Look_ at it! Oh my gosh!"

Tenten's smirk was wide and she pointed at Hinata with raised brows. "You. Get up here. Now."

"...ah... I... I was just going to go for a walk." Hinata began, stepping away from the dorm. "I wanted to before I have to... um... do some work at the library."

"You mean meet your _suitor_ at the library!" Ino sang.

Blushing a myriad of red shades Hinata kept backing away.

"I'll see you guys later!"

"Hinata Hyuuga!" Sakura gasped. "Come back!"

"Bye!"

And before they could uncork themselves from the window pane she had taken off running through the snow, feeling an unfamiliar and not unwelcome fluttering in her stomach.

* * *

"What the actual fuck happen to your forehead?" Naruto laughed.

Sasuke gave him a look that would peel paint off walls and shrugged. "Bumped into something."

"With your face?" The blonde continued, moving to pick up the other side of the fire pit that Kakashi was lending the university for the free skate. Behind the cafe and bookstore there were three metal squares where firewood could be burned without endangering the ground around it. He would also be providing the coffee, hot chocolate and popcorn bags which he was happily filling in the cafe while telling Shikamaru about the great episode in Sasuke's life he had witnessed yesterday.

"Yes, with my face. You seem to be rubbing off on me a lot lately." Sasuke snapped.

Coming out of the cafe Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Well, just so you know..." He began, grabbing a couple bins filled with the wood for the fire pits before throwing them into Kakashi's old work van. "He has some rather incriminating pictures of you and Hinata Hyuuga... so if I was you-"

"That pervert." Sasuke hissed, dropping his end of the fire pit with a bang onto the cement. "Oi!" Naruto screamed, trying to keep the thing in his arms unsuccessfully. "You bastard! Come back!"

Shikamaru sighed again deeply before grabbing the end Sasuke had abandoned and heaving. "What a bloody drag."

In the dark of the cafe Sasuke stormed through the couches and chairs towards the counter where dozens of paper bags filled with popcorn sat in neat rows and Kakashi stood behind them, ladling buttery popcorn into them happily.

"Oh, Sasuke! Two visits in a row-" He began a little nervously, stopping mid sentence when Sasuke didn't slow but moved to jump over the counter, agile as a cat.

"Ah! I have them on two different flash drives and I made sure one was in my house instead of here so you'll never find it! Give up now!" Kakashi flailed as Sasuke snatched the photo lab envelope from the counter behind him, making him flinch.

With his jaw set to obliterate Sasuke ripped open the envelope and peered at the dozen pictures, flipping through them quickly. Most of them were of Hinata sitting by the coffee table in the cafe looking absently at their work, although one was of her with her head cocked far to the right, and her eyes focused with determination on Sasuke across the way from her.

Pausing briefly on that one Sasuke moved along, peering at the rest. One of them was of Sasuke and Neji standing entirely too close to be casual and Sasuke promptly tore it to bits before moving on to the last photo of Hinata with her arms full of books looking at him questioningly, her face earnest and cautious as she stared. His sketchbook was on top of the pile of books in her hands.

He let out a slow breath then and lifting his black eyes to the frozen man before him in a frilly pink apron he shoved the envelope with all the photos in his pocket. "I'm taking these. And don't be surprised if I break into your apartment to find the memory sticks."

"Aw... what? No. I have dogs. Lots of dogs." Kakashi warned, watching as the young man shoved himself over the counter and back out to finish loading the van.

When he disappeared without another word Kakashi sighed deeply. "Touchy."

Then he tossed the memory stick with his treasure trove of pictures up in the air before catching it and sliding it back into his pocket with a grin.

* * *

Most of the morning had been spent luxuriating in the nervousness of seeing Sasuke again. Hinata had been able to sneak into one of the faculty buildings that was unlocked and, finding a nook in an unused stairwell spent the couple of hours before her meeting reading through the books he had gifted her, working on not smiling like an idiot every time he came to mind.

Despite several hours of practice she wasn't getting much better.

Usually at this point she would have pulled her cell phone out to text her friend, to ask for advice about nerves and to maybe have him distract her with something witty he said. But every time she looked at the phone her stomach dropped to her toes and laying her head on her knees she'd sigh deeply. It didn't seem to matter how she twisted the thing around in her head. She was going to end up hurting him when she met him.

"Ugh." groaning softly she twisted her legs and arms tightly around herself, hugging her new books to her chest as hard as she could before sighing and relaxing again.

Wishing she had Sasuke's sketchbook to look at she shifted and pushed herself to her feet hoping that her friends were gone to finish the set up for the free skate so she could change and gather her things for the library without them there. They had to shovel the snow that had fallen during the night off the ice and set up the fire pits that Sasuke had been helping Naruto and the other boys get.

At the thought of him again her cheeks pulled hard to smile and she squished them down with her cold hands, blushing and shaking her head even though she was alone.

 _I'm hopeless..._

The sun was blinding outside and trekking through the now nicely shoveled and salted walkways she got back to the dorm in half the time it had taken her to wade through the snow to the faculty building.

To her dismay she could see the hands of Sakura gesticulating wildly from her window as she spoke to someone else in the room and hanging her head drew in a deep breath before walking in.

"Okay... deep breaths... just... go in, change, grab your bag and out... Quick, quick, quick..."

Opening the door silenced the voices that had been so animated a few minutes ago, and she pressed the door closed with her back, eyeing her friends who were suddenly still and serious. Ino and Sakura were sitting on her bed as they put on their snow boots and Tenten rested her hands on her hips, her brown eyes peering intently over a scarf.

"So, you finally decide to make an entrance, huh?" Ino broke the silence and Hinata wrinkled her nose at her in an attempt to look unimpressed.

"I'm just... getting my things." She lifted a hand in a show of peace. "And... I'll be out of the way."

"Out of the way?" Sakura let out a little laugh that sounded dangerously close to a cackle. "No, no, dear. You have some explaining to do- for instance- what the heck happened to your forehead?" And she was up, suddenly concerned.

Blinking Hinata rearranged her fringe with shaky fingers. "N-nothing!"

"Wait, Naruto said Sasuke had one of those too!" Sakura's green eyes were aiming to come out of her head. "Did he... did he try to kiss you or something?"

Flames, flames everywhere. Hinata slapped a hand to her cheek to try to hide the rising heat. "No!"

Scrambling now she grabbed a sweater and pants from her closet while her friends followed her every move with their eyes.

"He did too didn't he?" Ino crowed.

"No, he didn't! I... I was stupid and I..." she shoved her new books into her book bag and hoped to god everything she needed was in there because she had no time to check. "We just crashed- it wasn't like that!"

"But it _could_ be?" Tenten's inquiry was firm and Hinata blinked at her several times, trying to work up a lie.

"Aw, yay!" Sakura waved her arms in the air. "Yay!"

Deciding that changing was an unnecessary luxury Hinata grabbed her bag and started to head back towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Ino gasped. "Isn't it early? Talk to us!"

"You already know everything!" Hinata shouted over her shoulder, surrendering. This statement paused their manic energy for a second while they digested it's meaning and then all three began to talk at once excitedly. Slamming the door on their chatter Hinata stood in the hall, dragging in air slowly to calm herself and bring some of her natural color back to her face.

* * *

He had had just enough time to change into clothes not covered in soot from the fire pits before grabbing the last of their project and rushing out the door to meet Hinata at her dorm.

Naruto watched this all with a keen blue eye and a steadily growing grin. "So I hear you stopped at Hinata's before coming to help us out." He waved his cell phone. "You getting more and more clear with her, eh?"

Stiffening Sasuke frowned at him as he came out of the sweater he was shoving himself into. "Who told you that?"

"Sakura. Seems like Hinata ran off before they could interrogate her. The girls saw you through the window." And as Sasuke bent down to shove his feet into his shoes Naruto tapped on the now dim bruise on Sasuke's forehead earning an "Ow!" and a smack on the hand that echoed with force. Still the blonde chuckled. "Was this an attempt to kiss her or something?"

"No!" Sasuke breathed in deep through the nose and stood, grabbing his things. "Mind your own damn business. It was an accident."

"I hope she looks better than you. If Neji hears you so much as removed an eyelash from his precious little cousin-"

Flicking the blonde's forehead hard and making him flinch Sasuke ripped the door open. "Shut. Up. Idiot."

"Good luck, shy bastard!"

Shaking his head Sasuke scrambled out of there. He had figured that they would all get pleasure from teasing him about the situation but perhaps he had underestimated the amount. It was proving to be a constant, like the sound of cars in the city or the ocean waves at the beach he was almost more surprised when the conversation did not pertain teasing of some sort.

It had not occurred to him that perhaps Hinata was enduring some of the same things, but it certainly dawned on him when as he approached her dormitory she flung the door open and wide eyed stormed out into the snowy day, grabbing his arm and pulling hard.

"Quick!"

"What-?" He began, stumbling behind her a few steps before turning at the sound of the window ripping open on the second floor above the entrance. "Uchiha!" Ino was shouting, crammed in the little square with Sakura and Tenten. "Good job!"

Blinking at them over his shoulder he gaped for a second and mouth dry, slammed his jaw closed, turning away.

"Hina, you're adorable!" Sakura shouted, hands cupped over her mouth so they could hear.

"Someone told me once that sometimes... sometimes people need a good smack and then..." Hinata was suddenly ranting as they walked rapidly away from the dorm with the sound of the girls laughing behind them echoing in the icy landscape. "And then I slapped you and I... I hated it, I never wanted to do it again."

Surprised Sasuke let out a sound that was neither an encouragement or disagreement as she tugged him along by the sleeve. "But... but I so wanted to slap them right now..." she continued. "Just to see the surprise on their faces..."

A smirk, wide and appreciative rose to Sasuke's face then, and had she looked back she would have been blinded. Instead he commented lightly. "We _could_ go back."

"No!"

" _Joking_. I'm joking."

This seemed to stop her abruptly, and turning around to face him she wore the same now familiar look on her face somewhere between disbelief and curiosity. "I didn't know you joked."

"Ouch."

"No! I- I-" she stopped as his smirk dawned on her and with a huff that fluttered her bangs she sighed and allowed her shoulders to relax a little before smiling tentatively. "I must have a 'tease me' sign on my back today."

"I didn't see anything."

"Of course you wouldn't." Her eye roll surprised him briefly and pondering the bit of attitude she could display he reached out, surprising her in turn by pushing her bangs away. "Your cousin is going to try to skin me for that." He muttered, pressing a thumb to the little scab and bruise.

Standing perfectly still Hinata looked straight at him, drawing his eyes down to hers by the sheer intensity of her gaze.

In the cold with only the stillness and their breaths lingering together between them Sasuke felt his heart plummet in his chest. There was a little frown on her features that wasn't so much upset as cautious. Caution with electricity running through it.

"Sasuke, are you-" She started and as he began to pull his hand away the doors of the library opened with a snap in the cool air, and a voice that made the blood drain from her face broke the quiet.

"Oh well, look at the lovebirds. Now it all makes sense." Sasori's easy well educated drawl drew their contradicting black and gray gaze to the library steps where he, Hidan and Deidara had paused to evaluate them.

Feeling suddenly as cold as the snow all around her Hinata dragged in a ragged bit of air that knifed through her lungs, clenching her bag strap so hard her knuckles ached in the chill. Slow and smooth Sasuke slid just an inch in front of her, half blocking her from their eyes, shoulders loose, hands in his pockets as he studied the three disinterestedly.

"You should keep walking." Sasuke's tone was a delicate twist of silk in the air.

"Surely you know how much I dislike being told what to do." Sasori rolled his eyes, taking another few steps down towards them languidly. Sasuke's eyes fluttered through the snow and ice of the campus, looking for witnesses and finding none. Neji was supposed to be arriving soon, but he was nowhere to be seen.

"Consider it a suggestion then." Sasuke's voice was flat as he eyed Hidan, Deidara and Sasori in turn. His brother's words from the call the night before filtered through his head and he felt adrenaline start to pound through his veins, sharpening his sight and filling his lungs with extra air.

"I'll take it under advisement. Relax, Uchiha." Sasori's smile was charming as a wolf baring it's blood stained teeth. "I just want to have a quick word with Miss Hyuuga."

Hinata's hand was suddenly gripping Sasuke's arm in a vice that pinched and spoke of panic, he could feel her hot strangled breaths rapid fire against his neck.

"I think we both know that's not going to happen." Sasuke's tone remained barely conversational, even as he calculated how much force he would have to put into a blow to Sasori's face to break his nose.

Sasori in turn allowed his smile to wane then, letting out a heavy breath tinged with irritation. "Well, then. We may actually have a problem, won't we?"

Hidan's grin was wide and shark-like, even as he rolled his shoulders and started down the steps towards them, eyes intent on Hinata's darkening glare.

* * *

 ** _Oh snap._**

 ** _Leave me some love, ne?_**

 ** _-Inky_**


	14. Chapter 14

**_A.N_**

 ** _I apologize.  
I have had writers block. Harsh bad. _**

**_Total books consumed while in this depressive state is five and counting._**

 ** _Know an author you like or a book you love- hit me with the title. The more I read the more I write- that's my theory anyway. It's being tested extensively right now. Hopefully it proves true._**

 ** _Much love,_**

 ** _Inky_**

* * *

Fear was simply not something that Sasuke was familiar with. Few times in his life had been filled with fear. He could count them on one hand. Those moments were tarnished with sadness and disorientation. The death of his parents being the primary one, although the fear had been largely a burden carried by his courageous older brother. Instead he had allowed himself the luxury of wallowing in the pain, coming out on the other side of the torment with eyes of steel and his emotions under lock and key.

So it was a surprise when Hidan began to approach down the steps, with the crackle of the salt on the pavement and the chill of the snow around them to feel fear stab in his chest with his heart beat. It was a painful metronome behind by a half second to the pounding rhythm of his blood.

Dark eyes flashing from Hidan to the circling Sasori he dragged in a breath and flicked his head the barest bit to the right to Deidara, smiling ruefully at them, all teeth no amusement.

There were three of them, and although he was fast he was not stupid. Before he could incapacitate them all one would have reached her and as Hinata's hand tightened on his arm he began to realize how the fear he had never really felt before was becoming increasingly familiar with each passing second.

"You're going to want to stay right there." Sasuke spoke to Hidan even though Sasori was the one that held his dark gaze.

A chuckle, low and richly amused left Hidan's mouth then. And while he continued his approach Sasori continued to move slowly to the right, sliding his unrelenting gaze from Sasuke to Hinata, who was staring back with wide doe shocked eyes. Her breath coming sharp and painful.

It had not occurred to her that the mere sight of them might terrify. Or that the nightmares that had haunted her sleep on and off would suddenly materialize in front of her.

Her grip on Sasuke's arm tightened as her heart pounded to escape in her chest. It was no longer an organ but an animal, wild and horrified, beating itself to death against the bars of it's cage.

"All I want is to have a quick conversation." Sasori sighed, letting his head loll to the side in a parental sort of exasperation. "It shouldn't be so much to ask for."

"Hinata, get inside the library." Sasuke's voice bit through her panic. The adrenaline made sound boom, even the stillness caused by the snow seemed to pound in her ears, the white noise of headphones turned up too loud with no music to play.

"But-" she began as Hidan made to reach towards Sasuke, his grin turning from predatory to gleeful.

He was twice Sasuke's size, thick necked and muscled in ways that took time and dedication in a gym. And as his hand stretched for Sasuke Hinata gasped, feeling Sasori's presence suddenly right in her space. His smell was something chemical and spicy that she couldn't recognize invading her air. _Acrid._ The word came unbidden to her mind from her many word lists, distinctive and sure. _He smells acrid._

Sasuke's body turned to block him but Hidan's grip was suddenly on his jacket front, dragging him forward.

"W-what do you want? I'll talk to you. Just please, everyone ...calm down." Hinata's voice said. It took a moment for her brain to catch up but standing in front of Sasori she let her bag drop to the ground and Hidan paused with Sasuke in his grip. The Uchiha was wound tight as a rubber band stretched to the limit. His mind worked rapidly, accessing the situation and how long it would take him to snap a jaw, break a collar bone and finish by stuffing Sasori's teeth into the roof of his mouth.

He had never been quite so angry or scared before, it made everything incredibly bright and as he counted his heart beats he waited, listening for her voice, surprised by her steadiness.

"And of course the ever logical and upright Hyuuga sees reason first." Sasori sighed. Hinata's body felt like it was made of water, unaffected by the winter chill in it's nebulous construction. Everything had the sensation of being more fluid than usual and as a result unstable.

It all became very solid and real when Sasori's hand grabbed onto her wrist, dragging her forward so his eyes peered at her face intently. The pounding in her heart turned painful and angry in her chest and as he pushed his body into hers she felt her nose flare, brow furrowing with a new all engulfing coldness.

 _You should trust yourself more._

"I wanted to double check that you weren't telling lies about what happened last time we spoke. "

 _Sometimes people just need a good smack_

"It appears that someone that sounded a lot like a lawyer called the Akatsuki registry to ask some questions about me this morning."

 _If you're upset enough it will come instinctively_

"That couldn't have been due to you, surely? You're smarter than that. I was certain. After all... nothing happened and..."he was whispering now, "... _he_ won't be around all the time. Eventually, you'll have to go somewhere alone. What will you do then, hm?"

 _I want to protect you too, Nii-san._

 _Sasuke._

Hinata breathed in softly, shakily, tasting something metal in her mouth that she realized afterwards was not fear, but fury.

Sasuke's voice was tight and vicious. "I'm going to give you two seconds to let go of me before I send you to the ER." His instructions to Hidan were met with a derisive noise of amusement. Hearing this, Hinata pulled in a breath of air. Slow, like the falling snowflakes the night before she was realizing...

If she was ever going to have them not chase after her, haunting her like shadows in the all the corners of the school she was going to have to make something abundantly clear.

 _I guess they made me realize that they could have hurt me, if they had wanted to._

 _Then you need to let them know how they actually can't. At least not without major consequences._

Sasori's hand reached for one of her pigtails, taking the silk of her hair between his fingers, sliding it over his palm as though it was his. "You're a smart girl, Hyuuga. Call off your father's lawyer dogs and we can all go back to getting along just fine."

Hands trembling Hinata lifted them up, placing them with a restrained cringe on his shoulders.

He was tall, taller than her by half a head at least and she was going to have to dig deep to do what she needed to do.

"I...I need you to understand..." she swallowed and Sasori leaned forward a little, amused by her daring proximity. "Hm?"

"Hinata?" Sasuke's voice had a tinge of panic laced through it, her whispering voice hinting at something monumental about to occur. "Hinata- are you-?"

"You are not allowed to ever touch me again." Her eyes slid back and forth across Sasori's face, watching the disbelief start to bloom there along with a snarl. Growling, his hand went to grip her arm as a hint to the possibility of what was to come.

With a gasp for oxygen Hinata pulled her knee back and using his shoulders for leverage drove it as hard as she possibly could into his groin, until she felt the solid crack of her knee against bone.

The sound he made was like an elephant had sat abruptly on his chest and for a second all the men in attendance glanced over their shoulders. Hidan and Sasuke jumped, holding each other's jackets loosely while they watched in disbelief with Deidara as Sasori slid down to his knees onto the salted wet pavement below.

Hinata stood in front of him, breathing hard, eyes harder despite the flooding tears.

Hidan's mouth dropped open as he realized that Sasori was out of commission. And then, all hell broke loose.

Neji's voice snapping like a whip from behind her made her jump, just as Hidan and Deidara launched themselves towards her at once. Perhaps they were aiming to help Sasori, or perhaps they had intentions to shake the teeth right out of her head in their frustration but they never got a chance to accomplish more than their intentions.

Sasuke's palm slammed clean and deadly into Hidan's face, once up in an uppercut of beauty that sent him back a step with his teeth snapping shut hard and then a jab so sharp the grunt coming out of Hidan's mouth harmonized with the crack of his nose breaking.

While Sasori keeled over on the wet icy ground Deidara's head slammed back at the impact of Neji's fist to his face. His grunt was the loudest and Hinata flinched, throwing her hands over her ears instinctively as the blonde stumbled back into the railing of the library steps and like Hidan landed in a heap on the slushy cement.

"Damn it." Neji growled, glancing over at Hidan who was cursing through the wet mess of bright red blood flowing over his face. "I wanted to do that!"

"Not as much as I did." Sasuke replied succinctly, turning to look over his shoulder as Neji stormed to where Sasori still sat hunched over, face green and pinched in front of Hinata.

"I saw him fall to the cement on his face. Did you see him fall on the cement?" Neji's question was light and glancing sharply over to Hinata he watched in satisfaction as she squeezed her eyes shut, hands still pressed hard to her ears.

"Sure did." Sasuke's easy reply was smooth as the freezing air and with a snap Neji's fist slammed into Sasori's nose.

"Ugh!" The grunt that came out of his mouth was wet with a mouthful of blood and incredulous he winced through the winter light at the two men peering down at him, Neji holding him half up by the lapel of his jacket.

"Are you _insane_? This is assault." His voice was pinched and an octave higher than usual, probably because his weapon of choice was currently several inches higher into his body than normal, courtesy of Hinata. "You'll be hearing from my lawyers!"

Sasuke glanced over at Neji just as Neji glanced over at him, their expressions cool and unimpressed. "He stole your line." Sasuke pointed out.

"He never seemed very original to me." Neji admitted. Studying the widening gaze on Sasori's face Neji cocked his head just a little, the cold calculating expression he wore not unlike that of a bird of prey. Sighing, he mused. "Is his nose broken, do you think?"

Without waiting a beat Sasuke's fist shot out hard, and the crack of it against Sasori's skull was monumental enough to make even Neji wince slightly. Sasori cursed through a groan slimy with blood and Neji let go finally, throwing him into the snow the way he would something filthy.

"It is now." Sasuke confirmed. Turning back to Hidan and Deidara he watched as they gathered themselves off the floor, muttering things but overall more interested in getting out of there with some of their dignity intact than anything else.

"...Nii-san." Hinata's voice was watery, eyes still closed. "I'm dizzy."

"Take this." Sasuke muttered, glaring at the three idiots as they gathered Sasori's weak kneed mess off the ground and stumbled off in a pile of bloody noses and broken lips. Without looking he handed a piece of paper to Neji with Itachi's contact information on it while Neji peeled Hinata's trembling hands from her ears.

"Itachi is waiting for that call- maybe it would be best if you filled him in on what just happened." With the anxiety coursing through his veins all he wanted to do was shove Neji out of the way, take Hinata's face in his own hands and study her eyes, watching for that sparkle of calm to return. Instead he stood stiffly, breathing in the cold air to cool the raging fire in his chest while ignoring the throbbing sting of his hands.

"Hey." Neji's smirk was a wild expression unfamiliar to his face. Staring at him Hinata realized his pupils were dilated and his cheeks flush with the adrenaline of the moment. She wondered briefly if she looked the same.

"I saw you use that move I taught you over and over before we arrived here. I guess you really were paying attention."

"D-did I do it right?" It seemed like the correct thing to ask, but for some reason that had both Sasuke and Neji grinning at her in a way she'd never seen before. It was disorienting watching them smile together. Sasuke cocked his head at her just a little and she found to her utter surprise a smile rising tentative and shaky to her lips.

"I think you did just fine." Neji said, patting her cheek lightly.

"Okay...good."

"Get her out of here. I'll call your brother, and then my Uncle. It would be best if she's not around for that, Uncle Hiashi will be... parental... in his response," Sighing then he turned to Sasuke and his eyes were focused on appraising him anew. "Thank you, Uchiha."

"For what? I've been wanting to do that for a while." Sasuke shrugged, and Neji watched with a curious spark of irritation as he gathered Hinata's bag off the ground, steadying her by the elbow before sliding his hand down to wrap around her wrist.

Hinata however remained pale and swaying, her eyes flickering to the spray of blood on the snow where Sasuke's fist had painted Sasori's essence for posterity.

"She needs something warm to drink." Neji finally relented, filing for the moment the information his brain was gathering while on an adrenaline high for later evaluation with Tenten.

"I have her." Sasuke's reply was calm, even as he wiped the cracked knuckles of his right fist on his jacket idly before pulling Hinata along, back the way they came.

"I'll be by in a few minutes." Neji's statement was half a threat and Sasuke heard the inflection of warning in his tone. Still a little hyped up from the contact of his fists to bones he shrugged in reply, uncaring.

The fear was passing, the adrenaline leaving him shaky and desperate to check her face, to study her eyes, to hear her say again that she was okay. Neji could be as protective as he wanted. He was right after all. Hinata had a way of finding herself in trouble even if she didn't cause it. As far as Sasuke was concerned Neji was not just annoying in his protectiveness. He was also correct and that at least gave him a pass.

At least this one time.

* * *

She registered that she had never had a boy besides Neji in her bedroom while watching him moving around gathering the things he needed to make tea as though he had been there before. He made the space feel small, even though her father had made it a point to get her one of the biggest rooms on the university campus. Sasuke wasn't a big person, not compared to the broad shoulders and height of Naruto and Neji but he moved with a certainty about the space he inhabited that caused you to think otherwise.

Outside the sun was waning. Turning into an orb of warm orange light that was reflecting off the trillions of tiny snowflake surfaces covering the landscape and setting the world within her dorm room to a warm glow.

"Maybe you should lay down?" It was a question, said softly and gently and Hinata realized that after kicking off her shoes and jacket she had ended up on the edge of her bed with her pillow wrapped in her arms blinking through the weariness and shock of the last few moments, trying to breathe the way a normal person would.

"...okay." she whispered and slowly allowed her body to incline to the right until she was on her side, hugging her fluffy white pillow all the tighter as he set the kettle at the back of the room near the couch and television to boil.

"You're okay." He murmured, surprising her with his voice as he wandered over before settling on the floor between her bed and Tenten's. "While the adrenaline wears off it makes you shake and dizzy. But it passes."

Hinata's gray eyes remained fixed on his face as he patted his knuckles down with a tissue from the box on her nightstand, dabbing at the blood absently.

As he worked in silence she watched his broad hands push the sleeves of his sweater up along the smoothness of his forearms and her eyes caught the dark ink of his tattoos.

Without thinking she reached out, grabbing his wrist before she lost her nerve. She figured if she had nerves at all this moment was when to make the most use of them, right after kneeing the most frightening person in her life in the privates.

"...wh...what are those?"

For a moment he wasn't sure what she was referring to, his brain derailed from normal functions at the grip of her fingers around his skin. Stunned he watched her pull his limb closer, her other hand coming like a thief from the side before sliding smooth elegant fingers over the black curves and slashes of kanji on his forearm.

The air he was trying to breathe in was refusing passage into his lungs, hanging out instead at the entrance without giving way to his need for oxygen. He was quiet instead of answering, mesmerized by the slow trail of her fingers over the kanji, writing out the symbol in a way that seemed entirely more permanent than the tattoo. With her touch she was burning into his bone and sinew, searing the memory of her into his molecules.

Remembering suddenly that she had asked a question he swallowed, and mercifully she removed her hands, allowing thoughts to pass back and forth between the two sides of his brain.

"...this...this one says Fugaku." He began, pressing two fingers to the top symbols, trying to stamp the pattern of her touch over the tattoo to the smoothness of his forearm by sheer force alone. "These say Mikoto." He slid to his mother's name and finally to the last one, near his wrist. "This says Itachi."

Unsure of what he would find he looked up then, watching as her pink lips parted, gray eyes sliding from his arm and the precious things he had inscribed into his skin to his face.

There was always something hidden on Hinata's face. He had realized it early, from watching her. She hid behind her bangs, her scarfs, her lack of eye contact and when all those things had been bypassed, like a mission impossible obstacle course there was still the shyness of her smile.

This expression was none of those things. Her blush was a tame thing, more an after thought than the aggressive expression of feelings too raw to control. Softly, with unguarded features earnest and curious she sighed. "...there's so much about you I don't know."

Sasuke stared back, keeping every muscle in his body still because if he moved perhaps that look would fade, and the words that she had **not** said would stop ringing in his head.

 _"...but I want to know all those things about you. I **want** to."_

There was silence, the kind of silence where if you listen hard enough the blood in your veins and the pump of your heart suddenly become loud and any movement hisses with the rustle of fabric. And Sasuke knew, the way he knew what his name was that if he moved first he was going to kiss her.

A slam of a door somewhere in the dorm made Hinata jump suddenly. Tearing her eyes from him, her cheeks suddenly flooded with blood, and he scrambled to his feet. "I think the kettle is done." he muttered, although it wasn't. But she didn't argue, just lay on her side with her pillow shoved up to her face, breathing slowly.

After another extended quiet that felt heavy and suffocating she peered out from the confines of her fluffy pillow world to watch him stirring a heaping spoonful of honey into her tea before placing it on the nightstand beside her bed.

Eyes purposefully on anything that wasn't her Sasuke gathered the tissue he had discarded earlier and inspected his hands again, pondering if disinfectant would be necessary on the cracked knuckles.

"I'm sorry."

His eyes rose to meet hers filled with a startled confusion she was equally surprised by.

"Why the hell are you apologizing?"

"You got caught up in it. I... I didn't think they would come after me like that." she made a face then and her stomach dropped within her, writhing with anxiety. "Are we going to get in trouble? I don't want you or Neji-nii to get disciplined by the university."

Sasuke stared at her for a long moment, moving forward to lean an elbow on the cover of her bed before pressing his forehead into his palm, displaying the battered skin of the back of his hand to her quickly filling gray eyes.

"Hinata. You are not going to get in trouble. Neither are we." He shook his head slowly as though he could hardly believe what she was saying. "They came after you. He was threatening-"

"Yes, but-"

"Stop." And his hand, bloody and sore as it was grabbed onto her wrist, pulling her arm from the pillow she was clenching so hard. "If there's one thing you don't have to be worried about its getting in trouble. Another is apologizing to me." he frowned. "I told you not to."

Recalling the conversation after lunch with Itachi Hinata blinked at him mildly, feeling like the two instances were somehow universes removed from each other. "You could have been hurt." Her voice wavered and he finally looked at her face, feeling the smoothness of her wrist in his grip and the tremble of it as she processed the situation.

Her eyes were storm clouds, heavy with rain threatening to pour and he felt the force of their draw like a nail to a magnet. Fear was still lingering at the edges of her lashes and he let out a long breath. There was shame in the way she held her mouth, self disgust in the refusal to shed her tears. She had not wanted to be afraid. He could see it clear as day because the first time he had returned home to Itachi with a broken lip and black eye he had had the same face stare back at him in the mirror.

"I was scared, you know." He was speaking suddenly and without making the decision to do so. But he watched with fascination that was colored with a strange pleasurable sort of terror as his sigh shifted her bangs on her forehead as he spoke.

Hinata stared back without moving, her tears caught in the tangles of her lashes in dewy beads.

"I didn't think you were scared of anything." She admitted, and her voice was tinged with a bit of amusement and sarcasm because although it was true she knew it sounded silly. Sasuke was easily scarier than anything she could think of, his demands on the world and what it needed to do around him seemed easier to comply to than argue with. But he was still human, surely he was scared of something.

His lips lifted on one side in a tired smirk. Smoothly, his other hand rose and she watched as he spread his palm open for her to see. Studying the elegance of his hand and the bones beneath his skin it took her a moment but a breath later she could see the tremble, intermittent, subtle but real.

Instinctively she reached to take his hand only to pause as he instead placed it on her forehead lightly, pushing her bangs back.

The touch sent any thoughts of Sasori, of the snow splashed with blood and the chemical spice smell scattering to the wind in soft billowing plumes of smoke.

Frozen now she hardly dared breathe, the warmth of his hands on her wrist and forehead the only parts of her body that seemed awake, the rest of her was a numb thing sleeping.

"I don't think I can remember the last time I was scared like that." he admitted, the black of his gaze was a searing beam and all she could manage was to stay still. Even her heart had gone silent. There were no thoughts in her head, no rush of blood to her face, no pulse in her veins. There was just his grip on her skin, the warmth of his palm on her forehead, and the unabashed intensity of his gaze.

"Did he hurt you at all?" And the inquiry had a weight she couldn't deny. His tone, his careful pronunciation and the searching eyes that had her entranced displayed the importance of him asking such a question.

"No." She managed after a moment, stunned again at the feel of his hand sliding from her forehead to her cheek, smooth and comforting like the softness of a towel fresh out of the dryer.

"...good." He nodded, and panic fluttered in her chest at the thought of him turning away from her, removing his hands, leaving her skin to the cold.

Quickly, she added. "My knee hurts."

His smirk, so hesitant and full of tiredness before was washed away then by a grin. This unabashed glow made her lips part with a sigh of admiration she was not even able to articulate, derailed again by a jolt of electricity as his thumb slid smooth over her bottom lip.

"I bet you Sasori hurts worse." he whispered softly, and the pride on the gently delivered words was unquestionable.

His thumb, moving slow over the sensitive skin of her mouth was a match against sandpaper. The friction catching sparks of fire and like a sudden flame her cheeks burst to heat and her heart so silent up until now exploded into a frantic panicked gallop, drawing out a gasp from between her already parted lips.

"Hinata..." he began, and she wondered briefly if anyone had ever said her name quite like that before, dripping with an emotion she couldn't recognize but still managed to make her stomach tighten painfully.

"Hina?" A voice made them both start, the silence broken as someone fiddled with the door knob. In a second Sasuke's hands had removed themselves from her, and he straightened, pulling back to lean against Tenten's bed just as Tenten herself opened the door and froze.

Hinata's face was buried deep into the pillow within her arms and Sasuke turned his head just slightly to the right as he cleared his throat.

"Good, you're here." He commented with the least amount of distaste as he could manage, pushing himself to his feet.

Tenten's brown eyes flickered from him to Hinata who remained in a tight ball on the bed, face invisible behind the fluff of her favorite pillow.

"Uh... yeah...Sorry...?" Tenten began slowly, catching the flinch on Sasuke's face as it flashed by like a lightning strike before he shrugged. "No, that's good. I need to get our project to the printers and I'm sure my brother will want to speak with me as soon as Neji is done with him."

"Yes... uh..." Tenten wasn't one for fumbling but she had obviously walked into something , going from the tension that was thick enough to choke on in the room.

"Neji texted that something happened. Holy crap." she blinked several times as she watched Sasuke shrug into his jacket. "Your hands! Is that from Sasori's face?"

"Hn." Sasuke opened Hinata's bag absently, leaving Tenten standing there with a round O for a mouth.

"I'll take this to the printer- it's mostly ready, right?" He asked, his voice so calm that it was almost on the level with anesthetic.

A sound that might have been affirmative came from behind the pillow and Tenten watched as Sasuke's lips twitched. Moving swiftly, if a little stiffly he took a folder and slid a flash drive from Hinata's bag into his pocket.

"Her keys are on the shelf." He added, glancing over his shoulder before pushing past Tenten who held herself still as a statue as he passed by.

"Okay... thanks." She replied, watching the goings on with a decidedly placid expression on her face she was managing only with some effort.

Sasuke paused at the exit then, glancing back over his shoulder with words clearly hanging on to the edges of his bitten and abused lips. Thinking better of it he closed the door and Hinata's already tightly wound body tightened even further at the sound of Tenten turning the lock into place.

"I'm unsure if it was a good thing or a bad thing that I just showed up..." her friend began slowly, wandering over to Hinata's bed to sit on the corner, her face a twist of apology and restrained teasing. Gently she placed a hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay? What happened?"

Slowly and not without having to give herself a rather aggressive pep talk Hinata pulled the pillow down just enough to look at Tenten who squished her lips hard together to keep her smile from overwhelming her face.

Still, her eyes were dancing with mirth and she pressed a hand to Hinata's forehead.

"Either you got a sunburn in February or he kissed you." She began slowly studying the actual blazing red of Hinata's face only intensify with her panicked gray eyes.

Unable to cope the Hyuuga hid within her pillow again shaking her head fervently and Tenten chuckled, rubbing her back. "Well. At least Sasori was good for one thing. Hey, Neji says you may have castrated him! You're my hero!"

* * *

Walking from the dormitory took some concentration. His pulse was a staccato beat within the confines of his skin, rapid fire anxiety that coursed in his veins and made his limbs feel unstable down the stairs.

Breath catching in his throat he slammed out into the freezing cold of the winter day, daring a glance at the window he now knew to be her room, only to be simultaneously glad and terrified to not see her face through the glass.

What had he almost done?

With her flash drive in his hand and the last of their work on the book he forced himself to move forward towards his dorm, unsure if he was hoping to run into Naruto or not.

Hands shaking he unlocked the door, feeling again the ghost feel of her lips beneath his fingers, smooth and delicate, her skin overwhelming in it's fragility, her breath warm.

On his back the heat of the afternoon sun seeped through the fibers of his coat, warming his tense shoulders and soothing his twisting insides as he slammed into his dorm and down the hall only to freeze at the sight of the door to his room wide open.

Frowning he paused, half expecting to see Sasori's still blood stained face within the confines of his one safe place on campus. Instead opening the door wider revealed Naruto peering out the window over the night stand between their beds, grumbling to himself.

"What the hell are you doing?" Sasuke snapped, sighing with a breath he had not realized he had been holding.

Startled the blonde jumped and turned around, blue eyes wide in his face. "I was about to go out to look for you! Tenten left the park in a huff saying Hinata was in trouble? Were you with her-?" He stopped like someone had stepped on his throat, his sharp gaze snapping to Sasuke's battered hands.

"Oh fuck."

"It wasn't a big deal. They lasted less than five minutes." Sasuke found himself soothing, while his best friend let himself look at once enraged and panicked. "Fuck! Why does this keep happening when I'm not around? Please tell me Sasori's face looks worse than your hands!"

Rolling his eyes Sasuke dumped his things on the bed and moved to the closet, fishing around on the top shelf for the first aid kit Sakura had thrown at them on the first day of the semester.

"They're probably at the hospital now getting a rhinoplasty as we speak."

"Hidan too! Shit, why didn't you call me?"

"When should I have dialed? Before or after they cornered me with Hinata? Probably right as Sasori went to intimidate her while Hidan had me by the shirt right?" The Uchiha's voice shook for a moment and frustrated by the tremble he threw the first aid kit on Naruto's cluttered desk, ripping the bag open with aggressive pulls of the zipper.

For a long moment Naruto just stared at him, studying the tense shoulders and pale sheen on his skin before sighing. "Are you okay? Is Hinata all right?"

"I'm fine. She's fine." Sasuke muttered, trying to unscrew the lid on the rubbing alcohol with a barely visible wince that Naruto noticed. Somehow being in his room with the afternoon sun and Naruto's concerned face turned towards him was making a knot tighten in his throat, clamping around his words without mercy. Irritably he tried to open the alcohol bottle again, trying to calm his shaking hands with a long breath.

Jaw set the blonde strode forward and took the bottle from him forcefully despite Sasuke's attempt to refuse.

"Stop being an idiot." Naruto snapped, ripping it out of his hands and grabbing a cotton pad to soak.

Feeling rather ruffled at the feathers Sasuke glared at him, watching as he let the alcohol wet the cotton fibers heavily before slapping the stinging mess on Sasuke's cracked and now crusted knuckles, earning a slight hiss from the usually stony Uchiha.

"What happened? And start at the beginning." His friend ordered, voice quiet and subdued as he put the lid back on the bottle and allowed Sasuke to clean the wounds himself.

"They were waiting for us at the library entrance." Sasuke grumbled slowly, deciding it was better to comply with this particular Naruto mood than to end up needing to use his knuckles again so soon after obliterating them. "I'm guessing one of the lawyers sniffing around got Sasori's hackles up." He shrugged, nose flaring as the sting of the alcohol finally began to ebb.

"So the bastard was looking for Hinata then."

Remembering the grip of Hinata's hand on his arm Sasuke suddenly swayed, his intestines pulsing with cold as the memory echoed in his head.

"Fuck." He whispered, sitting down abruptly on the edge of his bed, pushing his hands into the mess of his dark hair.

Naruto studied his slumped posture for a long moment, hands tucked neatly into his pockets, body perfectly still and brow furrowed.

In the silence Sasuke stared at the orange glow of the afternoon sun on the floor of their room, remembering the accelerating gasps of air from Hinata's mouth warming the back of his neck with her panic.

"...it could have ended badly." Sasuke whispered, closing his eyes to try to block the feeling that came with the memory.

His friend's silence stretched out endlessly after his voice released the words into the afternoon light tainting their room a gold glow and sighing heavily Naruto sat down on his bed across from him, crossing his long stretched legs languidly.

"You said she was fine."

"She is." There was insistence in Sasuke's curt reply. Although perhaps he was trying to convince himself as much as his room mate.

"Okay." Naruto nodded, rubbing at his chin as he thought. "Are you?"

"I..." Sasuke looked up abruptly, a cutting retort dying in his throat as he glared. Naruto looked back, a blaze of blue so sharp and intelligent he felt his words tangle on his vocal chords and slam to a stop.

Despite the obvious argumentative tone of what he was going to say Naruto smiled thinly, waiting for a moment longer before murmuring. "She's okay, Sasuke. She's okay."

 _How the fuck is it that he always knows?_ Sasuke stared at him, face relaxing from the glare to a defeated tiredness before he hung his head again.

"If she hadn't kneed Sasori hard enough to make him a soprano I don't know if it would have been as uneventful as it was." he replied softly, and hearing Naruto's sudden bark of laughter forced a smirk to his lips.

"She did _what_?"

"You heard me."

"You're rubbing off on her and dare I say it's a good thing?" Naruto made a face at him. "What an awful world we have come to that I should admit such a thing."

"Shut up." Sasuke grumbled, rubbing his face tiredly. "I have to get this damn book to the printers... and then I have to..." he paused, thinking suddenly of what had nearly happened in Hinata's room and the intensity of her stare, open and receptive to his touch.

"...I have to talk to her tonight." He said it mostly to himself but Naruto's smile was still all encompassing as he pictured again and again Sasori getting kneed in the family jewels by the tiny mild mannered Hinata.

"I would say this is a good time, yes." Naruto nodded. "What with all the hero-ness all over you." He waved a hand at him as though trying to flap away a bad smell.

"Hardly." Sasuke muttered, looking away. "I have to come clean about some things before I'm in too deep."

Raising an eyebrow Naruto pushed himself to his feet. "Well, that sounds dark and cryptic and usually I would bug you until you elaborated but I already ditched Sakura way too long. She's freaking out about the free skate tonight so I have to go. I just wanted to make sure you didn't end up in the hospital with Hidan and Sasori too. Your brother would like me to inform him of that kind of thing." He smirked. "Although I doubted it would end up that way. There's a reason I keep you around and it's not for your gentle personality."

"Whatever." Sasuke shook his head and gathered his things again to head out as well. As Naruto opened the door Sasuke cleared his throat and glancing back the blonde frowned at him. "What? You confessing to me now too?"

Sasuke's disgusted face made Naruto grin and awkwardly the Uchiha shrugged, ruffling his hair absently. "Thanks... for coming to check on me."

Surprised Naruto blinked at him a moment, his unguarded expression giving way to a wry grin. "Aw _damn_. Look at you! Hinata's rubbing off on you too!"

"Fuck. Get out of my way, you idiot." Sasuke grumbled, shoving past him as Naruto laughed, rubbing his sore arm where he had vented his frustration as he went.

"Love you too, Sasuke!"

"Choke and die!" Was the affectionate reply. Then he was gone, letting the door slam Naruto's chuckles to silence as he ran off leaving his best friend and room mate smiling to himself curiously.

* * *

Tenten's face was having a civil war. One second she was curious and hesitant, with words on her lips and her body poised like a bird ready for flight. The next moment she was pressing her lips together, clenching her jaw and furrowing her brow as though determined to be stern.

Hinata glanced at her again as she shifted through her sweaters and scarfs, searching for something to wear to the free skate later where she would be exchanging her cell phone back. Trying to stay as distracted from the inner battle as she possibly could.

"...so... are you and Sasuke...?" Tenten began cautiously only to watch with mild amusement as Hinata's neck and all the way down to her collarbone began to blaze with splotchy red nerves.

"Ah... I... I don't want to talk about it." Hinata whimpered, shoving herself into the comforting camouflage of her hanging wardrobe.

Smirking Tenten leaned back on the bed with her elbows. "You look okay though. Neji said you were white as a ghost when he last saw you at the library. He told me you kneed Sasori." Her grin was evident in her voice and while thumbing through her clothing Hinata shuddered.

"Yes. My knee still hurts." she murmured, rubbing at the joint absently with pale fingers before pulling a heavy cable knit sweater from her closet.

"Oooh." Tenten winced appreciatively. "I hope you made him a eunuch."

Wincing a little Hinata moved to rip her current sweater off. "He didn't move much after." She admitted softly, and wrinkling her nose removed her pants too. "I don't think he had a chance with Nii-san and Sasuke both there."

"Argh." Tenten sighed, flopping back onto the bed with a frown on her face. "I was so hoping to at least kick Hidan in the shin or something."

Shaking her head a little despite her smile Hinata struggled through her sweater. "I felt like throwing up after."

"That's because you're made of sunshine and rainbows. Most of us have a few sharp instruments of torture around for our foul moods."

"I have foul moods." Hinata protested weakly as she wrapped an endless black scarf around and around her neck. With one eye closed in a long wink Tenten smiled at her. "Yeah, okay."

"L-Like with Sasuke at the library the first few times." Hinata continued, and then winced at the mention of the one topic of conversation she didn't want to revisit.

Latching on to that train of thought Tenten rolled onto her side on the bed, using her bent arm as a pillow while she watched her friend carefully pack the gray bag that looked so much like her own with the sketchbook she had been studying on and off for weeks.

"You sure don't come back all upset when you spend time with him now." She dared to say carefully, tapping her toes on the foot of her bed rhythmically. "You even let him in our room. I've never known you to allow a boy in here before."

Hinata kept her eyes firmly on the bag as she adjusted the buckles. "...It... it was an very particular situation, Tenten."

"Mhm."

"I won't... I won't do it ever again." The defensive tones in her voice were making her wince and Tenten smiled warmly. "Hinata... it's your room too. If you want to have him in here that's okay."

Although the words were meant kindly Hinata looked up at her, the terror so evident on her pale face that Tenten just sighed, smiling ruefully. "Or not."

"You know..." She continued after a beat, a little more seriously too. "...it's okay for him to kiss you too, if you want."

Flushing crimson Hinata buried her face in her hands.

"Is that what was going to happen? When I walked in?" Making a worried face she sat up. "I'm sorry that I interrupted... although... maybe you wanted me to? Are you okay, Hina?"

Her face was so warm that the scarf around her neck was suddenly too much and the thoughts in her head were too much and the memory of his thumb warm and smooth over her bottom lip was too much. Hands trembling Hinata ripped the scarf off and she marched to her bed, digging around beneath her mattress to the confusion of her room mate until Sasuke's black leather bound sketchbook came out from the crevice in her shaky hands.

"Wow. Is that where you keep all your secrets? Because I will likely be snooping later." Tenten's teasing tone didn't crack Hinata's serious pink expression and with her lips firmly pressed together she sat beside her and shoved the book into her hands.

"... _okay_?" Chewing on her cheek thoughtfully Tenten laughed. "You Hyuugas." Shaking her head she flipped open the cover, and Hinata listened to the creak of the leather and paper shifting with her eyes firmly closed. In the dark the blood rushed in her ears, loud as a river during a flood.

"These are for your book right? Is this Sasuke's-" Tenten stopped mid sentence as she turned a page from a handful of pretty blue birds with intelligent pointy faces and ran right into a pair of familiar Hyuuga gray eyes smiling at her over the folds of a tall teal scarf.

"...what?" she paused, voice a little nervous but mostly amused. "He drew you."

Hinata didn't move, ears intent on her breath coming in and out of her lungs, passing through the long pipe of her throat into her chest and out again.

Turning the page again Tenten raised both eyebrows, hands with Hinata's silver graduation ring on her thumb moved elegantly over a keyboard on several pages, and then again the gray eyes, and then her face, precise and detailed, her mouth plump, her lashes long, her hair fluid like oil on water.

"He...drew you a lot." She allowed, wavering somewhat between calm and wide open amusement.

Turning more pages Tenten grinned. Hinata's hands, her frowning face, her smiling face, her fingers reaching up to catch snowflakes. Sometimes her cheeks were rosy pink and her eyes wide, sometimes there was an almost pout and a seriousness about her jaw that Tenten recognized as Hinata's version of a glare.

"He likes you." Tenten whispered finally. "A... lot."

The words coming out of her mouth made the frozen statue of Hinata sitting beside her shift, opening her eyes to the glowing gold of the winter sun spilling through her window.

"I'm not.. crazy, then?" the little Hyuuga whispered back, turning her gray eyes slowly to Tenten's brown, searching for affirmation.

Tenten looked up at her from studying another sketch, her expression somewhere between "You're joking right?" and "Come on, get with the program."

Pushing the sketchbook into her hands she laughed. "Oh Hina." Shaking her head, she stood. "That's not the question you should be asking."

Startled Hinata stared up at her. "What should I be asking?"

"You should be asking if _you_ like _him_ back." Tenten cocked her head. "Unless that's a given already."

And since her face was already hot enough that it had nowhere warmer to go Hinata just looked at her, blinking the tears that welled at the corners of her eyes away rapidly.

"He's so kind, Tenten."

"That's not what I asked."

"And... he's different than I thought he was. He's mostly just... really shy."

"Still not what I asked."

"...I feel safe... with him."

"Hinata." Worry lined her friend's brow then as she blinked at her. "Just because he likes you doesn't mean you have to like him."

Hinata's eyes were a blaze of gold liquid in the light, her tears reflecting the sunlight and hiding for a few seconds the emotion welling in them until she blinked and the tears escaped, trickling down her cheeks in little streams of molten gold.

"...I know it's...it probably sounds really _stupid_ , Tenten." Chin trembling a little she pushed her palms into her eyes, a futile attempt to stem the flow of gold.

"I... I love him."

Mouth falling open in surprise Tenten stared. "Oh." She gaped and after a breath she snorted, pinching the bridge of her nose with her finger and thumb before laughing. "Aw well... your poor cousin was all worried about you returning a cellphone to someone on campus while he was away. He should have been more concerned with you being seduced by that Uchiha instead!"

The mention of the cellphone made Hinata's stomach clench, already feeling woozy from her realization. Groaning she pressed her forehead to her knees, hugging Sasuke's sketchbook to her chest tightly. "I have to do that today." she murmured.

A knock on the door made the girls jump and then Neji's voice called through the barrier. "Hinata? Tenten?"

"Come on in." Tenten's wry smile met Neji's overly cautious entrance and giving her a look despite his pink cheeks at her wink he wandered over to his cousin, pressing a hand to her back gently. "Hinata?"

"She's fine." Tenten assured him, her voice quiet. "Just... processing everything."

"Remind me never to be in close proximity to your knees while arguing." Neji murmured sarcastically, rubbing slow gentle circles on her shoulders.

A tired laugh escaped Hinata then, and sitting up she smiled at her cousin. "Okay. I'll remind you."

"How did the call to Itachi Uchiha go? And your uncle?" Tenten inquired and while Neji settled on the edge of the bed with a sigh Hinata moved to the backpack she had abandoned on her bed.

"Uncle Hiashi was livid, of course. There was a chance that he would have perhaps just spoken to the fraternity himself and had them deal with the issue internally to not cause scandal for the other members but after today I think it's safe to assume if he can destroy the group completely he will." He shook his head. "Sasori burned a lot of bridges today."

"Including one for reproduction, I hear." Tenten's grin was savage and Neji smiled back, appreciating the raw pleasure on her face. "He looked ready to throw up at least. Hinata's form was a thing of beauty."

Glancing over at the suddenly quiet girl the two paused, surprised to see her studying two sketchbooks that looked identical in her hands, staring back and forth at their black leather faces.

"Hey." Tenten said, curious. "That one looks just like Sasuke's. Is that from the person who has your phone?"

Hinata did not reply. Slowly she placed both the sketchbooks on the smooth white cover of her bed, taking the corners and flipping them open together.

"Hina?" Neji inquired gently, like talking to a skittish colt.

Slowly Hinata turned the pages, looking first at the different scrub jays on one side, and the wonderfully realistic images on the other, until the page with the bird mid flight appeared on the sketchbook that belonged with the cell phone.

Swallowing hard she flipped again through the pages of Sasuke's sketches, coming to a stop on a scrub jay, not in the same position but also in the slow lazy turn of a glide.

Looking back and forth carefully, slowly Hinata shook her head, just a gentle back and forth twist of her face from left to right. "...I'm... not that lucky." Her voice was hardly a whisper.

"What?" Neji sounded confused. "Are you okay? Is that from the person who has your stuff?"

His sudden movement made her snap both books shut and with trembling hands she shoved the twin volumes into the backpack. "Y-yes."

"Has he said when he can meet you? This is getting ridiculous."

"I...I'm trading it back today."

Surprised, Neji cocked his head. "Let me, I'll just-"

"No." Hugging the backpack to her chest Hinata blinked at him a moment, her gray eyes wide until she dragged in a breath and more firmly added. "No. I want to do it. I said I would meet him at the park tonight during the free skate."

Frowning at her intently Neji stared back, wondering how to argue with this new slightly more dangerous version of his little cousin until Tenten broke in. "Oh good, we'll be there too."

"We will?" Neji turned quickly, blinking at her. Tenten's brown eyes smiled up at him. "Of course. You're taking me on a date." she stood, dusting her clothes off before heading towards the door. "And come on, both of you. Sakura is going to need all the help she can get if this thing is going to work out."

Glancing over his shoulder at his cousin as he followed Tenten, Neji opened his mouth, working words around carefully as though to argue again.

"No." Hinata shook her head before he could say anything else. "Remember? You told me to warn you about... about close proximity to my knees in an argument."

Before Neji could choke on his surprise Tenten's laugh shattered the stillness and he smirked instead.

"Now she's going to threaten to knee me every time I tell her to do something she doesn't like." he commented sadly.

"I think someone's rubbing off on her." Tenten glanced at Hinata who shrugged into her jacket slowly before pulling the backpack on and looking at her, reading all the things Tenten wasn't saying on her face before smiling, nervous and hopeful and scared.

"Maybe." Hinata agreed, and Tenten smiled back.

"Dare I say that's a good thing?"

* * *

The walk to the printing shop had been a blessing, the brisk movement and the smart of the cold on his exposed face cleared the cobwebs from his overwhelmed brain. Instead he focused on explaining the details of the printing project to the clearly unmotivated individual behind the counter.

It only took Sasuke a handful of minutes to gauge the amount of irritation he was going to have to display for the lazy uncomprehending look to fade from the glassy eyes of the clerk but several sharply worded sentences later the young man was taking notes and asking pertinent questions about the printing.

Sasuke didn't even have to glare. The day was turning right around.

Or at least, it had been until he was heading back to campus with the sun sinking entirely too fast behind him and the stars starting to play peek-a-boo up above in the cloudless sky. The temperature drop was rapid enough for him to notice and to remember that he had not had anything to eat since breakfast.

So, the liquid courage he had been contemplating grabbing before going to meet Hinata at the free skate was probably a bad idea, considering the lack of buffer between the liquor and his brain. Eyeing the phone in his hand one more time he shot out a text to see if perhaps she was already there waiting, before calling his brother as he walked. Few things had the same effect as a large cup of whiskey, but his brother happened to be one of them.

It only rang once, which was a surprise as Itachi often didn't pick up at all but rather called back after a meeting or a client call or the elevator ride ended.

 _"Hello?"_

Sasuke scowled instantly at the light tone on Itachi's voice, realizing what had his brother so quick to answer.

"It's not Hinata. I'm just using her phone. Stop talking like that."

 _"Oh, that was a foul trick."_

"You talked to the cousin?"

 _"Why would you do that to me? I walked right out of a meeting to pick up for Hinata. The let down is monumental."_

"Why the hell would she be talking to you anyway? Did you talk to the cousin?"

 _"Why wouldn't she be talking to me? I happen to be delightful."_

Sasuke banged his forehead with the phone several times as he walked, one hand shoved into his pocket so far he was worried it was going to make a hole through the fabric, his fist bunched tightly.

"Itachi."

 _"Yes, I spoke to **the cousin**_. _His name is Neji Hyuuga, if you're wondering."_

"I'm not wondering."

 _"The Cousin sounds like a title."_

"Believe me when I say I would not give Neji Hyuuga a title."

 _"The Cousin is a bad title anyway. Although when you say it, somehow it sounds a little more like The Asshole."_

"Pronunciation is key." Sasuke stopped then, looking around at the darkening street, at the rush of cars and buses in the slush of the winter evening and the brightening of streetlights and shop lights clamoring for attention in the growing black.

"So you're not concerned about your little brother getting into a fight on campus then?" He asked because he knew already Itachi didn't and wanted to hear what he actually thought which his brother was glad to oblige.

Sighing deeply the elder Uchiha made an affirmative noise. _"The Cousin informed me that none of you were hurt but that the offenders had some minor injuries. I took what he said with a giant grain of salt seeing as I know you and I'm assuming there's a minimum of one or two broken bones that will be fought over during the law suit."_

"Two broken noses at least." Sasuke replied easily, kicking at a pile of snow absently next to a tree to watch it tumble down. He wasn't usually a fidgety person. Calls were taken standing still so as to remember the important parts of the conversation. Perhaps with a pen and paper in hand if necessary. But he found as he listened that he couldn't stop moving, his body shifting his weight from left to right and right to left.

 _"At least? Was there the option of a third broken nose?"_ Itachi didn't sound the least bit surprised or fazed. Sasuke heard the scribble of pen on paper.

"There was a third. The Cousin took him down, I didn't lay a hand on him."

 _"See, I can't master the pronunciation. It sounds so much like The Asshole when you say it. I'm impressed. So Neji was the one to grapple with the one. Good to know."_

"Will this be an issue?" Sasuke frowned, pulling his fist out of his pocket to stare at the cracked skin on his knuckles thoughtfully.

Itachi's answer was a knife coming down on the chopping block, swift and decisive. _"No."_ He allowed himself a dark chuckle. _"Not even a little."_

"Good. I told Hinata it wouldn't be." At her name Sasuke paused, listening to his brother listening back, transmitting things through the airwaves in the silence that he simply could not say.

The extended pause was short, only a couple of breaths and then, switching gears Itachi murmured more seriously. _"How is she?"_

"She was shaking. She took Sasori down."

 _"I heard from Neji."_ Itachi's smile was evident even through the phone. "He was bragging like he'd done it himself."

"I doubt there's any reason besides his cousin that allows Neji Hyuuga to brag." Sasuke smirked a little. Part of the pomposity of the elder Hyuuga was his unshakable humility in all things except for his family- namely Hinata although Sasuke had a feeling that the sister Hinata had mentioned likely got the same kind of treatment. He wasn't sure if he was impressed or irritated with the dynamic still.

 _"Well, I'm not going to lie, I may also have bragged a little at work today about my future sister-in-law taking down a grown man with a knee to the groin."_

Sasuke let that sentence hang, swinging like a noose in his mind, knowing there were two ways to go about this but only one would be honest.

Swallowing hard and with his eyes closed he sighed. "Who were you bragging to?"

Itachi's silence was telling, followed by a deep breath. _"Holy shit."_

"Don't act surprised."

 _"Okay, I won't. Holy. Holy. Holy shit."_

"Argh." Sasuke sighed, continuing his walk a little more slowly than usual. Somehow getting to the free skate was both something that needed to happen instantly and also never. He wasn't sure which would be worse, seeing Hinata's face when she realized who he was and that he had essentially been lying to her for about a week or never seeing her face again.

No, the second one. The second one was definitely worse.

 _"Okay so... when Naruto told me you had been drawing her in your sketchbook over and over, I thought for sure she was someone you were interested in but clearly I misunderstood the level of interest."_

"That traitor." Sasuke grunted, although he wasn't surprised. He and Itachi had been in cahoots over pretty much anything they could cahoot over since they were snotty brats.

 _"Did she say yes then?"_

"No! I haven't asked her to marry me- you're insane." Sasuke gasped, surprised that his usually brilliant brother would jump to such a stupid conclusion.

 _"Yet. You haven't asked her yet. Okay."_

Dragging in a long breath Sasuke finally stopped, seeing the familiar street corner leading to the campus and consequently the park.

"I need to talk to you about something."

 _"I thought that was what we were doing. Hinata is a something, marriage is a something."_

"Stop." Sasuke stood in the middle of the street. It was easier in town to get about on the skytrain, the bus system or the myriad of other methods available and so cars rarely drove down towards campus, especially at night. The four way intersection bustled with activity going in all three alternate roads leaving him lonely in the center of his street, gazing at the soft glow from the park and the warped and fading sound of music.

 _"Ok."_ Hearing a tone in his little brother's voice seemed to tip the elder Uchiha off and he waited quietly.

"I...I have to talk to her today, and...clarify things." Sasuke tried not to stutter, dragging his feet slowly towards the sound of the winter festivities even as it began to drown against the pulsing of his heart in his ears.

 _"Okay."_ Itachi allowed, listening some more.

"...Itachi." Sasuke sighed, and his name was a tangle of emotions all twisted together and set on fire.

 _"You're scared."_

"What the hell is wrong with me?" Frustration made Sasuke pause, pressing his back against a streetlight pole and then for better punishment he slammed his head back against the solid metal with a dull thunk.

 _"You don't have to do it, you know."_

This was not what Sasuke had been expecting. Surprised he straightened and ran a hand through his hair while he frowned. "Pardon me?"

 _"I mean, you don't have to have the conversation that is scaring you. I don't know what it is, but you don't have to."_ There was an invisible shrug of carelessness in Itachi's voice and Sasuke continued to frown, mildly disconcerted.

His mouth worked for a moment to ask another question but the only things coming to mind were "Huh?" "What?" And "Are you high?" So he didn't say anything instead.

 _"Think about it."_ Itachi's shrug of a voice was starting to become grating. _"If you didn't have this conversation with her- whatever it is- would it screw things up for you? Maybe. But if talking to her is more of a bother than not moving forward past this then I wouldn't do it. Obviously."_

Realizing what he was up to instantly Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I never said I wasn't going to talk to her, just that..." he paused, feeling the words "I'm scared." claw to a stop in his throat.

 _"Oh good, so you do have a pair."_

"You are absolutely useless."

 _"I disagree. I bet you're going to go talk to her right now, right after you hang up her phone."_

And he was right, because the park entrance was there now and he could see through the thick branches of the evergreens and the wispy tendrils of the weeping willows the blaze of twinkle lights on the naked cherry blossom trees that surrounded the pond.

"I have to go." It took some effort but somehow he managed to make his voice sound casual. Itachi's chuckle was appreciative. _"You almost sound normal. Good work."_

"You suck."

 _"Good luck, little brother. Love you."_ Itachi's sing song good bye was like a final call and with his stomach twisting painfully Sasuke bit his cheek.

"Love you, Nii-san."

And just as he hung up the phone vibrated with Hinata's reply to his text.

Walking slowly down the stairs from the street he craned his neck, trying to see her in the mayhem of skaters and loitering groups of people huddled together chattering and holding cups of hot something or other.

But her text had told him where she would be and still mostly in the shadows outside of the halo of twinkle lights he could see her clearly with her wide eyes turning this way and that, studying her surroundings on the bridge.

Looking for him.

His body felt suddenly very cold, and completely motionless he watched as she buried her face into her scarf and peered out at the world through the small space between her bangs and the soft fabric.

He had no plan B. There was no contingency plan. That adorable person, standing a whole head shorter than him, stuttering through sentences when nervous, blushing furiously at every turn was the only plan he had. Walking up there and counting on what he knew of her, mainly that she was not just forgiving but also gracious was the only route he had available. Anything else would likely result in his withdrawing from Konoha University to study elsewhere, just for the sake of his pride.

Or at least... so that he didn't have to run into her in the halls, walking around with his heart in her fist without wanting it.

How could this have happened to him anyway? He was Sasuke Uchiha. He could have had pretty much anybody, save a very select handful and still no one had been of interest... never. Until her. Then nothing had been of interest _but_ her.

The cold feeling over his body was turning into severe heat now and his fingers were strangely numb. Biting at a knuckle absently he breathed in and out, sending out one more text before walking towards her, sliding out a card in heavy card stock covered in pen ink like a ninja star in a fight.

* * *

The cold had the feel of winter's end. She could see it in the way that the trees dusted themselves off with the soft breezes, shaking the ice from their shoulders with a sort of exasperated sigh.

This would be the last snowfall of the year, the snowflakes tasted like good bye when they melted on the tongue.

Looking up through the trees of the park the sky glimmered and shone, clear as navy black cloth spread across the heavens. With the lights of the city it was difficult to see the brightness of the stars but the more courageous ones twinkled with a determination she found admirable considering the competition from below.

Head thrown back she blinked carefully, breathing in deep as the feel of the cold seeped over her exposed neck.

Up there the expanse of the sky was familiar now, a darkness that bloomed with the familiarity of a pair of dark eyes and made heat burst to light on the apples of her cheeks.

Sighing heavily Hinata gripped the edge of the stone bridge on which she stood, dragging her herself back to the present with some difficulty.

Along the edges of the park pond handfuls of people giggled and called to each other as they stepped carefully onto the smooth surface of the frozen water. The lights strung along the trees glittered, taking after their more elegant heavenly cousins above.

Music was blasting from somewhere, something happy and mellow at once that made Hinata think of long pleasurable car rides with naps and snacks and plenty of bathroom breaks.

"You're going to come down here after, right?" Tenten shouted from down below on the ice. Her cheeks were pink and her white skates shone with the care she took with them. Anything that allowed her freedom of movement, the burning of exercise in her lungs and a good sweat was always so precious to her. Sometimes Hinata wondered about the spirit that was inside Tenten's body and how it must feel contained within the limits of muscle and bone, always bursting to be free.

"Yes." Hinata nodded, hopeful that the encounter would not render her a tearful mess that ruined the party for everyone else.

"Good, because Neji is being twitchy." The brunette on the ice glanced over her shoulder at the popcorn stand where Neji had been placed to help with Kakashi who was carefully keeping a safe distance from him.

Smiling a little despite her nerves Hinata nodded again. "I'm right here. He can see me. Can you make sure he doesn't... um...you know?"

"Oh, I've got you covered." Tenten raised her hands at her as though she were pointing out the obvious. "Don't you worry. I was just checking the perimeter of the pond to make sure there was no weak points to rope off." She winked then. "I'll be right there to keep him tethered."

"Thank you." And the sheer sincerity in Hinata's voice made Tenten grin. "It's all good, deary."

She waved a gloved hand at her, skating backwards with the ease and elegance that only Tenten seemed capable of wielding with sports and was off, leaving Hinata with her chin in her hands, elbows on the bridge.

It was a beautiful night for the free skate. The clouds had come down to rest on the earth in their snowy bodies and had as a result left the bright stars shine with the twinkle lights above. Everything had the soft golden glow of safety and familiarity. Laughter sounded pretty despite it's unabashed ring over the smoothness of the ice and people were rosy cheeked from the warmth of the skating or from the hot chocolate and coffee that Mr. Kakashi was handing out.

If her stomach weren't doing twists and turns inside of her she might even be enjoying herself. Watching Neji standing next to Mr. Kakashi trying to be hospitable behind the snacks table alone would have put a grin on her face. But today was not a normal day.

As if to prove her point the vibration of her cell phone in her pocket made her jump, and nervously now she pulled out the device, staring at it's face with a tightness beginning in her chest that made her wonder if it was possible she was having a heart attack.

 **are you there already?**

Hinata gazed at the question and breathing in slowly looked up, scanning faces, searching for a lonely shape in the chaos. The twinkle lights blinked and the stars shone and people laughed and knifed through the ice in smooth elegant lines or wobbly knees.

She had to chid herself after a moment, realizing that her eyes were searching for a specific dark head, pale cheeks, black eyes.

 _Stop it, Hinata. It's not going to be him._

With fingers weighed by her worry she typed back, face buried in the darkness of her enormous black scarf.

 _ **I'm here. Just on the bridge.**_

 **Okay.**

Turning slowly she scanned her surroundings again, feeling her ears heating up within the folds of her black hair as she met the eyes of people passing by around her and on the shore.

 **Are you worried?**

Eyes widening Hinata stared at those three words, heart skipping around in a frightened dance. Lips parting softly she let out a breath and watched as the white cloud of heat flooded the screen before disappearing.

 _How does he know? How could he know to ask that?_

* * *

He was already leaning on the stone barrier of the bridge before she glanced at him from the phone and jumped nearly out of her skin, gray eyes owlish in her face.

"S-s-sasuke!"

His smile looked pinched, as though he were trying valiantly to keep it from getting out of control as he leaned his elbows calmly against the rock, tapping a square of heavy paper on the cobbled and uneven surface of the railing.

He didn't reply, which was possibly worse than her infernal stutter and instead they just analyzed each other for several breaths. Hinata opted to bury herself as deep into her scarf as she could, while at the same time wondering if he would be able to tell that she picked the black thickly knit scarf covered in golden stars because it reminded her of his eyes. In his presence she felt pretentious and also exposed, like he could x-ray her head and see all her thoughts in rows within her skull.

"Hey." His voice was soft, quieter than usual and in it's shyness she found herself looking up. Was there perhaps something special about his features when he sounded like that? Would he look sad, embarrassed, upset? Disappointed?...hopeful?

But her eyes once raised, once looking at the midnight glow of his gaze were locked. Had she known that once she stared at him she wouldn't be able to look away perhaps she would not have dared to risk it. Stilled now she watched as he spoke, calmly as though there was nothing to make him nervous or falter.

"It looks like Sakura managed to make this last minute thing a success."

The sound of his voice cracked the lock on her voice and a little jittery she turned to lean her hands against the rocky lazy slope of the bridge. "...Y-yes. She did an amazing job."

Being extremely aware of every movement of his body she watched as he played with the card stock in his hands. It was familiar in shape and size to one that was now burning a hole in the back pocket of her jeans.

"What are you doing up here anyway?" He asked softly, his eyes flickering only for a moment to glance at her out of his periphery.

Trying to keep her own gaze away from the card he was tapping idly on the rocks of the bridge she stared instead at the reflective glass of the ice below and the whimsical curves and slashes left by skate blades throughout it's surface.

"I...I...uh..." anxiously she shifted her weight on her feet. "I'm... I'm meeting someone."

The words were out of her mouth and eyes widening she glanced at him then, stunned at the horror rising inside her at what she had said.

Sasuke kept himself looking straight ahead, away from her before stretching his back out like a cat, letting his head hang while his hands pressed to the bridge rock, hiding his face.

 _Oh god._ Hinata floundered for a moment, feeling heat and fear and horror at herself flash through her, splitting apart inside of her mind like fireworks. _He's going to think I mean a date. He's going to think I'm meeting someone on a date! Oh god! Say something! Hinata!_

"Um..." Desperately she floundered for words, pressing her lips together so hard they hurt. Before anything could reach her vocal chords however he was straightening and pushing the card at her, face turned determinedly away.

"Here. I should go."

"What?" Startled, Hinata took the card he offered. "Sasuke- wait- I-" but he was walking away and she took a hesitant step after him, glancing briefly at the card only to freeze.

It was like the snowflakes, like the alpenglow and apricity. The one side was an intricate drawing in pen ink of two people tumbling to earth through a sky filled with clouds, above them and around them the heavens spread out as far as the eye could see. Their clothing and hair whipped back from their smiling faces, hands clenched together tightly as they careened to earth.

Slowly Hinata turned the card over, staring at the word written in Sasuke's now familiar neat even writing.

 _ **Frisson : **__**a sudden strong feeling of excitement or fear, a thrill.**_

 _What would you say is exciting and frightening?_

 _Falling in love with someone_

And in that moment the cell phone in her pocket began to ring.

Heart pounding she shoved her hand into her pocket and shaking pulled the device out, staring at her number on it's face, making her gray eyes illuminate as tears began to fill them. Shakily she raised the device to her ear and heard the familiar tones of a voice that she had once dreaded. Now the sound of him whispering in her ear made her tense painful shoulders loosen.

 _"I'm sorry."_

Slowly, she turned then looking at the way he had gone, down the curve of the bridge just far enough that she couldn't hear him but through the phone, although she could see him holding something to his ear, his eyes intent on her.

 _"I'm not usually this much of a coward... I almost couldn't do it."_

She could see him now in his room, simmering with frustration and irritation at the thought of someone ruining one of his sketchbook pieces with crayon.

 _"I didn't know it was you all along. I promise."_

His advice, riddled with violence at the prospect of someone being difficult to work with now rang with irony within her. She could see in her mind's eye the list of things she was determined to accomplish at the second meeting with him at the library. A list he had encouraged her to write and then fought vehemently at the meeting.

 _"When I found out, I think I was so shocked I couldn't even articulate it. So I didn't say anything right then."_

 **Sometimes people just need a smack.** With her hand pressed against the smoothness of _his_ phone Hinata felt the world become silent, remembering the look of shock on his face at the impact of her fingers to his face. But there had been more than just shock, there had been something else she had not known how to interpret at the time.

Now she knew, it had been the first step towards this. It had been respect.

 _"Then... I tried, but something always seemed to come up, and it just got more difficult to discuss."_

The sounds of the people, the music playing from the coffee and hot chocolate stand, the soft swish swish sounds of skates slicing the ice melted away and as her legs moved her forward there was only the growing silence.

Like the snow freshly fallen, right in the morning before the light of the sun comes, and the world wakes there was only calm as he stepped onto the bridge, phone still to his ear, dark eyes searching hers anxiously.

 _"Please don't be upset."_

The tears were rolling down her cheeks, so although his comment made sense she still cocked her head to the side just a little, smiling despite the feel of the salty trails running down her face.

 _"Please don't cry."_ And with a shaky breath betraying his fear he pleaded. _"Hinata, please say something."_

She said it into the phone then, because it seemed only fair that despite their narrowing distance that he should hear it that way, through the crackle of electricity, where they had together taken their first steps towards this.

 _"Sasuke... I'm so glad."_

The darkness of his eyes had never seemed so all encompassing, his lips parted at her words, surprise flooding his features. Words, she could see them trapped at the edges of his lips hung heavy like dew about to drop from a leaf.

She lowered the phone then, taking the last few steps that divided them quickly, hearing as the world came back into focus and the music and laughter and wind through the trees began to sing again with the contact of her arms around his neck and the feel of her lips on his.

It was a warped world, where only the softness of his mouth against hers mattered, tasting of her tears as his arms held her tightly to him, drawing her to tip toes. Even still, with her ears reacquainted again with noise she heard the sudden and echoing boom of whoops and hollers from the ice as though through water at first. Too distracted by the softness of him, the taste of his mouth indescribable and addictive.

Their friends, minus Neji were in an uproar that seemed to catch fire and soon not only Tenten, Sakura, Ino and Naruto were clapping and whooping with delight at them, but as eyes turned to see what they admired the rest of the crowd began to join in.

Ignoring them he felt the the flutter of her lashes against his skin, brushes that painted him with her tears.

"I wanted it to be you but I didn't think I'd be so lucky." She was mumbling things against his mouth, and heady with her flavor on his tongue he hardly registered what she said, pressing his forehead against hers lightly. "But then I thought... maybe... when I looked at the two sketchbooks side by side... I thought... just maybe. Just maybe I'm that lucky."

And when he opened his eyes to look at her, inches from each other she realized she wouldn't be looking at the heavens at night ever again without thinking of him and the intensity of his gaze in that moment.

 _/you swallowed all my stars, /I'm not even fazed / because I taste them /I can taste them on your lips/_

He wasn't smiling, but that was because he was profoundly more than just happy. He was flabbergasted, floored, unseated by her reaction despite it's monumental rightness.

"I...I'm going to kiss you again." He informed her, and he watched this time with pleasure he didn't bother hiding as her face grew hot and her eyes wide. Before he could make good on his threat however she bit her lip, making a stab of something that was dangerously close to pain shoot through his body.

"...I think Neji-nii is coming towards us." she whispered.

So instead they grabbed each other's hands and without looking to see if she was right, took off over the bridge and into the darkness of the park towards the campus. Both trying hard not to blush too hard at the sound of the cheers that followed after them in the shadows.

* * *

 _ **Possibly one more chapter- and an Epi to follow.**_

 _ **Sorry people. I'm sorry.**_

 _ **There is major writers block kicking my butt.**_

 _ **Like. Bad. Pray that it doesn't stick around much longer. It's depressing.**_

 _ **This is the fourth version of this chapter. I wrote nearly 60 000 words for this chapter alone- hence the delay. I can't seem to get it right no matter what I do so I'm leaving it this way until the day long in the future that it finally decides to click into place for me. Perhaps I just don't have the skills for what I know this thing needs at the moment. I don't know. :(**_

 _ **Much love,**_

 _ **Inky**_


	15. Chapter 15

_**This thing has to end.**_

 _ **It just has to.**_

 _ **It's been haunting my every waking hour. I'm done. It's finished dudes. In a perfect universe I would have tied all the loose ends more neatly up until the point of the last chapter so it could end on that bridge and have an Epilogue and then done.**_

 _ **But instead I screwed up and now we have this.**_

 _ **12000 words of whatever.**_

 _ **Sorry guys.**_

 _ **Also, can I just say- like your reviews are amazing. Beartes i have been laughing whenever i read your review since you posted it. Thank you so much darling. So, so, so funny and so, so , so sweet. you have no idea. SO appreciated.**_

 _ **Im kind of a weirdly shy person at times, and I think that my sudden writers block is making me extremely so right now so i can't really work up the nerve to reply to all the reviews individually but I read them and I love them and appreciate them so much. You guys are fantastic.**_

 _ **Much, much love,  
Inky**_

* * *

If anything the two red faced and sparkly eyed lovers rushing off into the dark only made the whooping and hollering applause crescendo. On the ice Sakura was flailing like a baby bird intending to fly while Ino cupped her hands over her mouth and screamed as loud as she could "It's business time!"

Tenten's grin was overwhelming her face, it carved a tear from cheek to cheek that she was enjoying until she glanced at Neji beside her and gasped to see the mounting tension coiling in all of his muscles start moving him like a bull at a red cape forward.

It was going to end in disaster. She was going to have to tackle him to the ground, maybe put him in a head lock if she could manage it. All those years of Brazilian jiu jitsu were about to be put to the test, god damn it.

But before she could depress all her mounting energy and release it in a panther of a leap at Neji's quickly retreating back Kakashi's foot snapped out into the slushy way of Neji's missile focused target and the elegant Hyuuga took the most catastrophic trip of all the lifetimes.

There was a gasp, in which he swallowed a cry that would have humiliated him doubly so, and a flailing of his arms as he tried to catch himself and then the slushy slippery ground beneath his feet betrayed him also. Then, last but not least a rock that lined the path around the pond came barreling out of nowhere to make Kakashi, the slush and itself a holy trinity of treachery.

The crack of his nose to the rock was loud enough to make even the stupefied Naruto flinch and Tenten buried her face in her hands to muffle the cry from her mouth.

Neji's groan broke the silence that followed, and before he could swear or do something else indecent Mr. Kakashi was at his side, falling over himself with apologies.

"Hot tamales in blistering hell, Hyuuga! That piece of cursed shit for a rock hit your face!" And then while Neji tried to comprehend what in the world he was saying he pointed at his pale face, patting him on the shoulder with his other hand in a completely useless and unwelcome manner. "You're bleeing all over the place!"

"Neji!" Tenten was at his side then, heaving him up and taking stock of the damage while Naruto continued to gape. Ino, Sai and Sakura began to wander over from the pond having just caught sight of the now bloody streak all over Neji's lips and chin.

"What the hell happened?" Ino gasped, sliding to a stop and putting her hands on her knees to study Tenten wiping at Neji's face with napkins.

"Totally slipped." Tenten began, keeping her eyes so pointedly away from Kakashi that Ino actually glanced at him.

"I did _not_ slip." Neji began and Tenten slowed him down by wiping at the blood from his mouth aggressively. His eyes were swimming a little in his head and she smiled wide then, finding him at once adorable and infuriating.

"Consider this a decree by god that you should leave your cousin be for a bit."

"I had no intention of doing anything to my cousin." Neji snapped back, although with less force than he would to anyone else interfering with his need to protect his honorary little sister. "It was that sleazy excrement pile that is the youngest Uchiha I was aiming for."

"That's rather ungenerous considering what went down today with Sasori." Naruto suddenly became reanimated, his gaping shock at seeing Sasuke _touching_ someone with his mouth and then watching Neji Hyuuga do something as uncoordinated as trip finally seemed to have bled out of him.

"Nothing he did is going to eliminate this... this..." Neji floundered for words and trying to channel his old-man-speak Tenten sighed and cocked an eyebrow.

"Travesty?" She supplied, decidedly unimpressed.

"Yes!"

"Sometimes the Hyuuga feel like they're from a different era." Ino commented to Sakura, who looked back at her with romantic eyes still shining from experiencing the sight of a first kiss. "Ino! Ino! Hinata just kissed Sasuke!"

Grinning now Ino laughed with her. "Ha. One track mind."

A little forlorn Naruto eyed Sakura sadly, trying not to pout. "You're almost more excited about it than when we first kissed."

At this Tenten and Ino snapped their heads in the direction of the blonde and with as much venom and disdain as could be shoved into a sentence they chorused. "No way!"

They had suffered at the receiving end of a love sick and infatuated Sakura when they had first got together and if he didn't shut his mouth one of them was going to shut it for him.

Suddenly more pleased than he had been in some time Naruto blinked and smiled. "Oh."

If she had not been so incredibly high on the ideas of new love and wondering what Hinata and Sasuke were doing then maybe Sakura would have punched him hard in the arm to leave a bruise of her affection on his skin. As it was she just skipped over the slush and compacted wood chips towards her favorite boy and threw her arms around his neck in excitement.

"Sasuke's not a vampire!"

As one of his two oldest friends Naruto understood exactly what she was celebrating and grinned with her, swinging her around for a second.

"No Uchiha vampires! Yay!"

From the ground, still trying to make sense of the tilting and swaying world of a concussion Neji growled deep in his throat at Tenten. "Vampire? _Now_ am I justified in wanting to rip his heart out?"

Tenten smiled again, the same wide grin that hurt her cheeks and caused her to dimple in a way that set his heart to stuttering. "Oh, I don't think you have to worry about ripping his heart out." She laughed. "I'm pretty sure your innocent little cousin has already taken care of that."

* * *

She was going to melt all of the snow just with the heat from her face. Super nova stars didn't burn the way she did. Breathless she ran, her feet kicking up slush that sparkled in the golden glow of the streetlights with her hand tightly gripping Sasuke's, breath coming out in accelerated joyful gasps as they ran.

"Hurry, hurry!" His voice was familiar and yet there was an urgency that made her think of her childhood hide and seek tag games, filled with a panic that bubbled along with laughter.

The campus came into focus and with the backpack bumping between her shoulder blades they slammed into the door of her dorm building, Sasuke's hands shaking as he scrambled with her key, glancing over his shoulder towards the way they had just come.

"I think Tenten... will try to stop him..." Hinata gasped, lifting his arm up to peer under it the same direction he was looking.

"Still." He grunted, ripping the door open and pressing her inside. "Hurry."

The door opened and the silence of many empty dorm rooms beckoned. Breathless they glanced back once more through the glass of the entry and then Hinata's hand was grabbing his and dragging him up into her room, still faster than they needed to go, but too hyped up to slow down.

Also, this way if her heart did decide it wanted to pop out of her chest and dance on her palm in a bloody mess then at least she had the excuse that they had been running hard. Hopefully it would distract from the truth that his hand was setting her whole being on fire.

Shoving into her dorm room however made it impossible to ignore that her heart was not slowing down although her legs were. Her breath was still trying to catch up even though her mind had slowed and everything was clear in such a crystal way that she could count the little molecules that stuck together to make up the world.

Before she could turn on the light she went to drop her backpack but his hand was still in hers and in the process of letting go it occured to them at the exact same time that in order for her to remove the sack from her back she was going to have to untangle her fingers from his and even though it was stupid childish thing and needed to happen eventually neither of them wanted to do it.

So instead, before he lost all nerve and tried to say something awful and mean to hide his overwhelming and crippling affection Sasuke grabbed her by the waist and kissed her, hard.

The kiss on the bridge had been such a soft little thing, just a baby blinking open it's eyes. It set the world to sparkles and it made the touch of the winter cold a distant comfortable numb against their skin while it drew blood and heat to the surface of their bodies.

This was no such thing.

Dropping the bag was suddenly possible with his mouth against hers. Slowly, carefully his tongue slid over the incredible smoothness of her bottom lip and the whole inside of her body turned to goo, her knees actually contemplating quitting on the job as his hand slid to her lower back to press her to him.

She had wondered about kisses all her life. When she was younger she had supposed that she would never marry because if she had to kiss her fiance at the wedding to make him her husband then surely she would never be able to look at him ever again from embarrassment and the marriage would never pan out.

Later she had dreamed about kissing and felt that surely she would do it wrong, it seemed awkward and desperate, more of a mess than it was worth with saliva and teeth and hands that were all over the place and made her nervous. Surely she would rather just not.

And later still she figured that the right kiss would be soft. It would be delicate and thoughtful and leave a lot of room for figuring it out instead of plunging headlong into the gasping breaths and frantic grasping.

Not that it mattered because, through all of this Hinata Hyuuga figured that overall the chances of her finding someone who she liked and wanted to kiss and who _also_ wanted to kiss _her_ were overall rather low.

Not. So.

He made a sound, oh god what a sound. It knocked her knees another inch closer to giving up all hope and the dark timbre of the moan twisted a hot knot inside her lower abdomen so that she realized, sharp like a knife into flesh that this was what _desire_ felt like.

There was nothing hurried about his kiss, like lava it slid through her and into her and made her hands shake as they buried into the soft silk of his hair at the back of his head. Molasses slow he skimmed her top lip with his tongue then too, and pressing his lips gentle and then with more force that betrayed his hunger pulled back, untangling their meshed atoms one at a time.

When the room stopped spinning and she dared to open her eyes to look at him she felt the magnitude of the night sky in his gaze studying her with a voracious kind of attention.

Softly, because it was the only thing she could think of that had the most to do with the moment she whispered. "...I've never kissed anyone before."

It must have been the right thing to say. A smile that blazed like a shooting star spread over his face and pressing his forehead to hers he let out a very soft breath that was not really a whisper but more of an indication of the words he wanted to convey.

"Me neither."

Somehow she kept her overwhelming shock in check. "Y...you're really good at it."

He did the impossible and grinned even more. "Uchihas are a little exceptional at pretty much everything."

She grinned back finally as the daze of his smile finally wore off enough for her to feel not just his joy but her own. "I knew that."

There was just so much more that she wanted to know.

Realizing suddenly that they were in the dark she took a hesitant step back, not out of his arms but just close enough to reach the light switch. Deciding against the brightness of the flurourescent lights she thumbed the often ignored switch controlling the dozens of twinkle lights that she and Tenten put up for Christmas and never bothered to take down.

The warm muted brightness of the lights made Sasuke look around slowly, dark eyes turning into a multitude of stars too numerous to count.

Realizing abruptly that this moment could have been ruined by the fracture of a relationship she had fostered with her secret friend she studied him until he turned to look back at her, pale face all seriousness despite the blush that had burned his ears red and his cheeks pink.

"You're my anonymous cell phone friend." It wasn't an accusation so much as a test drive of the words on her tongue, and Sasuke smirked a little, watching her mulling this information around in her mind.

"Yes."

"...you...you told me to hit you...?" It was almost a question and her head cocked a little as if trying to figure him out. Ruefully now he made a face that drew her lips up on one side like their features were linked by invisible string. One pull of his cheeks and mouth to one side tugged on hers.

"I did not know I was setting you out to get me." Then surprised he added. "You hit me on the advice on someone you didn't know?"

"No!" Hinata was surprised to feel mildly defensive, then remembering they were the same person wrinkled her nose furtively. "I hit you because you were being a je- silly."

" _Silly_." His hands were tightening on her fingers, squeezing and squeezing again so that she couldn't forget he was gripping her still. The desire to take off her jacket did not outmatch the desire to keep holding his hands. "You had better descriptive words the night it happened."

Blushing crimson Hinata remembered then her sleepy head on her arms and the decisive battering she gave him despite his help that night.

 _"I don't hate you. I'm just..."_

 _"Grumpy?"_

 _"Antisocial, I was going to say." He almost smiled then._

 _"M-mean."_

 _"Wow." He breathed. "I thought you said you were a push over."_

 _"I think tonight may have cured me."_

Thinking about words made her hand pull from his grip, only able to because she had in mind to reach into her pocket and pull out the square piece of paper with her new word on it.

Sasuke had grown still as she looked at the image, noting now that she had more than two seconds the long black hair of the girl with the fluttering dress, the familiar darkness of the boy's eyes.

 _Frisson._

There was a lot she wanted to discuss, a lot she wanted to ask and when she looked up at him she could see words sitting heavy on his lips, melting in the warmth of his gaze. Soon he would be weeping Milky Way clusters of words from eyes full of galaxies.

Before she could get out another word he breathed out softly. "I...am going to kiss you again."

Startled she stared, bracing herself in a way she never had felt the need to before. This wasn't from an incoming blow or from a sudden downward slide in a roller coaster ride. She was bracing against the desire to give in and let go.

"Also...I want to know you." His breath tickled her face and she felt the flutter of his eyeslashes against her cheek, seconds before his lips slid and smoothed over the skin of her mouth again, snatching the ground from beneath her feet and setting her to drowning.

Between the gasps for air and her tangled fingers in his hair she whispered.

"Only if I get to know you too."

* * *

The clean up for the free skate was a late night business and everyone was tired, a little grumpy but mostly chatting about the love birds that had disappeared earlier on. The banter about what they were up to had got under Neji Hyuuga's skin so many times that Tenten had started to use her lips to shut him up when he went to start a new rant about thinking the Uchiha was not suited for his cousin.

After a few times Kakashi started to think that maybe Neji Hyuuga had realized a good thing when it landed on his lap and so he was amused to watch him try to start another argument with Naruto who- ever loyal would only defend Sasuke despite his faults.

Tenten, also happy to intervene snatched Neji Hyuuga's mouth with her own and ended the argument in a manner that had everyone rather content.

"All these young women are deadly." Kakashi muttered, eyeing the lot of them with both appreciation and fear while he meandered over to a tree that would be his resting spot.

Swinging the keys he had stolen from a specific blonde loud mouth in attendance he stretched and stretched and then pulled out his favorite book and his cell phone, pinning the device to his ear with his shoulder while it rang.

Hidden behind the unmarked book he listened to the familiar voice answer.

 _"Well hello."_

"Itachi-kun." Kakashi's smile was loud and clear and Itachi's returning smirk was also.

 _"Kakashi. Do you have some news for me?"_

"Oh yes."

The anticipatory silence might have been due to Itachi being at a complete lack of words- unusual for an Uchiha. They might not be chatty but that wasn't because they couldn't talk rather they were snooty with their conversation choices.

"It would appear..." Kakashi began dramatically while turning the page in his book idly. "...that your younger brother may be getting...uh... deflowered right now."

A snort that was very un-Uchiha-like snapped out of the phone. _"I highly doubt that."_

"Well, I'm not going to jinx him by saying it's not happening. Good vibes." Kakashi scolded. "What a brother you are."

 _"It's Hinata Hyuuga and my little and emotionally constipated brother. Unless a lot of tequila is involved..."_

"Or a ring, perhaps." Kakashi admitted in agreement. "Poor kid. No wonder he's so moody."

 _"I hope this isn't why you called me."_

"No. I was wondering if your offer for some compensation still stood."

 _"If you can get me photographic evidence, yes."_

"Well, I have a picture of the first kiss."

 _"Shut. Up."_ Any hope for control was lost the moment 'first kiss' had been spoken into the phone and received on the other side. Itachi was beside himself.

"...I will not. It's so very _not_ useful in telephone conversations." Kakashi rolled his eyes. "But it's true. I have the first kiss on camera. I can send it to you in half an hour."

 _"Oh my god."_ Itachi was channeling all the mothers in all the worlds who had ever desired a lovely match for their sons and daughters. _"You have a picture."_

"Yes." Kakashi quirked an eyebrow slightly.

 _"Can you get more?"_

Ah, there was the rub.

"Perhaps." Kakashi eyed the college kids gathering up the last of the equipment and throwing slushy snow at each other. "I think it might be possible."

 _"I will make it worth your while."_ Itachi was not stingy, and it was pictures of Sasuke's first love- likely only love, the boy was picky and consistent in all things. If anything was worth some serious dough it was this.

"You kind of better, seeing as I will be doing something highly illegal. Especially if I have to go into the girls dorm instead of his dorm."

 _"Hm."_

Kakashi sighed deeply, not worried or upset mostly dreamy at the idea of wandering in a college girl dorm looking for the unlikely couple. He tried not to sound too giddy.

"Also there's the danger of your brother finding out and skinning me."

 _"Occupational hazard."_

"Yes." Kakashi didn't let the tone of voice make the agreement sound like he was backing off on his request to be properly compensated.

 _"Well, I will take that into consideration when I have the photos in my inbox. Yes?"_

"Fantastic. Always a pleasure, Uchiha-san."

 _"Don't call me that."_

Hanging up Kakashi sat up and stretched before hiding his book in his back pocket and smiling widely at Naruto who was throwing him the stink eye. "Old man. Come over here and help me with the table. Don't just stand there."

"Coming, coming..." Kakashi tucked his hands into his pockets and wandered towards the group, smiling and thinking about all the different books he could buy with the money Itachi would be paying him.

* * *

He was having a hard time not doubting the situation. Tucked up against him on her bed she smelled of summer time and powdered sugar, and whenever he kissed her the blood in his veins buzzed with electricity, singing a high pitched hum of energy.

 _I'm alive, alive, alive._

"What about this one?" Her voice was a whisper because with their limbs tangled together and her mouth brushing his earlobe there was no need to do anything but breathe intention over their vocal chords and the words came out clean into each other's heads.

In her hands propped up between them was his sketchbook and her fingers carefully stayed on the edges of the sketches. He wondered that she had placed sheets of paper between the pages to keep them from smudging and that she carefully refrained from placing her fingers onto the darkness of his pencil.

She was looking at the sketch of his mother peering with dark secretive eyes through the folds of a silk scarf, the intensity and smile on her face disarming. She couldn't have been much older than they were in that picture, judging from the youth on her face- or what you could see of it.

"That one is my mother." He swallowed a little then and watched as her fingers slid slow and careful along the edge of the page, studying the eyes and the crinkles at the corner that suddenly looked familiar.

"Mikoto." She sighed it softly. "What beautiful eyes."

"Yes." Sasuke wasn't about to not accept a compliment directed at his mother. There was a reason besides the fact that they shared blood that had drawn his attention while flipping through photographs to take with him on his last visit to the Uchiha estate further north.

"She gave them to you. And Itachi too." Hinata's smile was private and happy. Sasuke blinked a little and eyed the picture with sudden new interest. "I...guess so."

The sound of their phones buzzing on the nightstand beside them made Hinata turn to look, and for a moment she wasn't sure which one to reach for. A choked sound of amusement escaped Sasuke at the sight of both their hands hovering over the smoothness of the night stand and giggling Hinata grabbed her own phone, flipping it open while Sasuke did the same.

"Uh oh."

"Tch." Sasuke snapped his phone on the sketchbook impatiently.

"I think my cousin may be coming this way." Hinata muttered, and although she said "I think." She really meant: We have to get as far away from here as possible right now.

"Might as well deal with it." Sasuke began, although Naruto's repeated messages about maybe withdrawing to a safe area were making him raise an eyebrow.

"Oh... oh please no. I don't want to- I don't want you two to fight and he needs to cool down- maybe he will be more reasonable in the morning?" Hinata sat up, looking at him earnestly, her hair trailing along his collarbone as she searched his face, a little pale and her brows furrowed with worry.

Sasuke stared, disarmed by the closeness of her face in the soft light of the twinkle lights. He had not been prepared for that face. His brain took a moment to reboot and then slowly, with a lot of glitches he began. "So what do you want to do?"

The phone on the sketchbook buzzed again and together they looked down at it, brows furrowed.

Naruto's number read at the top and conveying the same earnest emotion as Hinata his message was short and sweet.

 _ **Incoming less adorable Hyuuga. Take cover now!**_

"Time to go!" Sasuke grabbed his sketchbook, his bag and shoved his phone into it, sliding his jacket on.

Hinata watched, fingers fluttering through her bangs. "Um... what are we- uh... okay. I... I... guess I'll see you tomo-"

"You're not coming?" And his eyes turned to her with such confusion and surprise that she nearly burst as her smile knocked the disappointment from her face. "Oh! Oh- okay!"

"I'm not leaving you to deal with him on your own." His scoff would have been reproachable if his words were not so sweet in meaning and she smiled bigger as she slid her arms into her jacket and her boots on her feet with a hop.

"Let's go, let's go."

It was so simple. He took her hand. She locked the door. They ran down the steps, and all along she wondered how many times she had left her dorm and missed the grip of his fingers on hers without knowing that's why she felt so forlorn.

Out in the cold once more it was the puffs of hot air making clouds in their faces and their slip and slide run across the campus, listening to the bantering voices of their friends coming back from across the street heavy laden with gear from the party.

"It's going to have to be my dorm." Sasuke muttered, eyeing the common path that they would all be appearing at any minute now. Hinata was practically skipping. "M'kay."

"You can always go back when Tenten tells you it's safe and he's gone for the night." He continued, suddenly realizing he was dragging the Hyuuga heiress into his room well past 11 pm on a Friday. For once he had the odd feeling of being at once the perpetrator of an act he didn't approve of and also the smug bastard trying not to smirk too wide at the idea of getting away with it.

Hinata didn't reply as they stepped into the hall and then towards his room, pursing her lips over and over thoughtfully until he glanced at her again, reading the tightness of her mouth as an attempt to keep something inside. Before he opened his room door he paused, looking at her, waiting.

Looking anywhere but his face Hinata shifted, arms twisted behind herself in a pretzel of her feelings. "...I don't have to stay long, it's late, and..." she bit her lip hard.

God. She needed to stop doing that biting thing.

Feeling his pulse stutter and restart at a more accelerated tempo Sasuke watched her, paying attention with great intensity to the rising heat throughout his entire body.

"You can obviously stay." The words were out of his mouth before he could snatch them back and he started, looking boyish and stunned at his daring when she looked up, eyes wide.

"N-n-not like that!" More words, or the general make up of words stumbled out from between his lips like untrained animals. "I mean- I don't- I wouldn't- I am never... I'm never going to not want... you around..."

The wideness of her eyes didn't change, although her slightly stunned mouth did, pulling slowly to the side in a half smile even as her cheeks cooled to a more reasonable pink. Certainly more reasonable than his face anyway.

"Okay."

"Okay." He shoved open the door and focused very intently on taking the key out of the lock and turning on the light switch.

Another buzz on both of their bodies made them start and glancing at their phones their faces twisted into different but equally emotional expressions.

On Sasuke's phone was a very short but very cheeky message from his blonde idiot best friend.

 _ **Cutting it kind of close there, bastard. I saw you guys high tailing it into the dorm. I'm staying with Sakura tonight. See you love birds tomorrow.**_

And on Hinata's phone there was only one line from Tenten.

 _I got your cousin. He will live. Love you. Be safe._

Sliding the cell phone into the pocket of her jacket Hinata rubbed her palms on her jeans nervously, watching as Sasuke typed quickly on his device.

 _ **Don't let Sakura get carried away. We're not doing anything. And I'm burning your side of the dorm room if you don't clean it up in the next two days.**_

Slowly, Hinata slid to the ground with her back to his bed, similar to the position she had been in the first time she had ever stepped into his room and Sasuke shifted and blinked to clear his vision of the memory superimposed on top of her looking at him carefully.

"Sasuke?"

He looked at her some more, watching her lay her head on her knees, fingers twitching nervously. "Um...no pressure...but... I'm... I...Ino always said to ask because... um... I'm not sure how she put it exactly but Sakura said it was a good idea."

Sasuke waited, puzzled.

"Are...are we...or- actually am I... um..." her limbs were pulling tighter and tighter into her torso, shrinking her down to a smaller and smaller ball.

"Am I your girlfriend then...? Is that what-"

She was going to kill him. Once or twice he has seen Sakura flailing, her face red, her eyes pinched and her whole body a tight miserable mess of tension as she squealed. Naruto had handed her a tiny chick and she had held it in her hands as delicately as something made of glass even as her voice went from girly squeal to deep chesty growl as she whispered, "I want to _squish_ it!" That feeling made him stay very still, pondering how she would react if he was suddenly smooshing her smooth cheeks in his palms and making her mouth pucker to release the tension caused by her cuteness.

"Do you want to be my girlfriend?" He was crouching beside her then and although her tight ball of limbs didn't loosen her gaze softened, her lips parting to let the word by.

"Y...yes."

Thank. God.

There was the grin he could not suppress again and she smiled back long enough for him to see it before burying her face in her hands.

They sat this way for a time, until breathing her in was no longer enough and his lips traveled over her neck and earlobe. He buried his face into the silk of her hair until she was giggling at the tickling and cautiously peeking at him through her fingers.

"We can keep looking at the book, if you want." He offered, although it was not as interesting for him as it was for her. Once completed his work was precious to him but not captivating the way the true object had been. Although, he had to admit seeing it through her curious eyes had a certain appeal he had not imagined before.

The suggestion brightened her face some more and she nodded, climbing with him onto his bed and curling tightly to his side, like they had done it many times before.

"I always thought I didn't like being touched much." Sasuke muttered, half to himself. Startled, Hinata withdrew an inch looking at him as he opened his sketchbook carefully with one arm around her shoulder. "Oh no- am I- I'm sorry, I'm... I'm kind of touchy-"

"No." He shook his head and kept his eyes on the pages he was flipping as he smiled. "Turns out I was just waiting for the right person."

Hinata nearly bit her lip to bleeding. In her head the words danced and frolicked, a happy little jig.

 _The right person! The right person!_

Finally glancing at her Sasuke paused, letting out a sigh before tangling his fingers in the hair at the back of her head. "You're going to have to stop biting your lip like that." More desperate than before he captured her mouth and set the room to dizzying spins. He was everywhere, the scent of his skin and the laundry detergent that he used on his sheets, the shampoo in his hair. It was all Sasuke smells, all crowding into her brain with the warmth of his fingers on her neck and hip, his lips slowly burning her to nothing.

It didn't escape her that his hands did not wander, that although he trembled he never pushed and that his clothes and hers were firmly and irrevocably on their bodies despite the shivers meandering down the curves of their spines.

It also didn't escape her that she had no intention of going back to her dorm.

"W...will Naruto be... um... will he be mad if I...?" she tried to piece together a sentence with his breath warm on her lips still and Sasuke shook his head. "He's staying out tonight."

"Oh okay." Her lashes tickled at his cheek as she slid her face into the crook of his neck and shoulder, trying to breathe in a way that would slow her heart rate down.

"I just... want to stay with you like this. Just...breathing."

He could hear the tired in her voice, and despite the fact that his body was at once a shaken can of soda and more relaxed than he had ever been he wasn't sure that sleep would come very easily with her right there shoved up against him.

Not that, that mattered.

"Hn."

As if she had been waiting for his reply her shoulders suddenly loosened and he felt her breathing slow in the span of ten heart beats.

With his hand on the curve of her hip he listened, eyes closed as she breathed until he was almost sure that she was asleep before whispering it.

"...I'm pretty sure I'm in love with you."

One day, hopefully soon he would be able to say it out loud with her eyes on his and in public.

For now, this was infinitely more than enough.

* * *

Waking up was a different sort of sensation than it had ever been before. It was a little like the start of a movie she loved, with the heart beat and breath of another harmonizing and making a sound track she would always find comforting and joyful.

Eyes still closed she stretched just a little, enough to feel her shoulders pop in a delightful pleasurable sort of way and contentedly pressed herself further into the solidity and warmth of a body she was both unfamiliar with and delighted to be close to. His smell was something sweet, she had noticed it before when she had usurped his bed but not allowed herself to really think about how much she found it enticing.

Her clothing was rumpled, she could feel her sweater was bunched up and her shirt beneath it was twisted, her jeans were on her hips a little askew and she had an elbow on the edge of his shirt but she didn't really care right then as she buried her nose further into the curve of his neck, close enough to hear the pulsing of his blood slow and calm and soothing near her ear.

That was until she heard the suppressed and slightly frightening man giggle and then the mechanical whir of a camera followed by the spark of a flash. Tensing as though doused in water she twisted in Sasuke's arms to look over her shoulder and then nearly fell off his bed as Sasuke scrambled up like a bat out of hell.

"Kakashi!"

Sleepy and shoeless he jumped over her and out the door, sliding on the hardwood floor after the hardly visible cackling shape of Mr. Kakashi who was running out of the dorm at high speed. "Murder is a crime!" his delighted and slightly panicked voice screamed down the hall.

Disgruntled Hinata lay on Sasuke's bed, blinking in the brightness of a late morning on a Saturday. The dorm was mostly just a whisper of bodies dragging themselves slowly out of bed, besides Sasuke's hissing tones down the hall half shouting half threatening someone at the entrance.

Naruto's bed was still in the same chaotic disarray that it had been in last night when Sasuke had dragged her to his dorm to hide from Neji.

It had not been a sensible plan to end up sleeping there, and thinking of it now was making her overheat as she straightened her clothing. Everyone was going to assume something had happened- she could just see Ino's face all fox slyness and amusement.

"That bastard..." Sasuke's voice was razor sharp as he whispered to himself, rubbing his face roughly before closing his door and pressing his back against it, staring at her like he couldn't quite believe she was still there.

Hinata stared back for a long moment, blinking in the brightness of the sunlight, fighting a grin for about two seconds before giving in to the smile that overtook her. His responding smirk made her stomach do twists and turns and abruptly before she could even gather the right sounds for her mouth to say "Good morning." he had her face in his hands and his lips on hers.

Who needed words anyway?

"Do you think it would be better if I snuck out the window?" Her question had been intended in all seriousness but his laugh, warm against her mouth made her smile. "I doubt it. Kakashi can't get into the dorm without a key, I'm guessing he's been watching the campus all night. Which means he's probably around..." His wince was like he had cracked a tooth. "It's going to take a lot to get me not to punch someone today."

"Your hands are still hurt, don't." Her fingers slid between his and just like that he didn't feel the need to harm anyone- at least not in that particular moment.

His hands untangled themselves from hers, sliding up along her back and inspiring a shiver down her spine as they dug into the tangled darkness of her hair, dragging her long neck back so he could explore it with his lips. Eyes closed Hinata tried to get a handle on her breathing. "...I...I need to go..." there was zero conviction in her voice and he made a noise along her throat that may or may not have been him agreeing.

Touching her made his mouth feel spicy, like biting into a pepper that built with fire over time. There was an equal amount of heat and pain and pleasure as he trailed her skin, breathing in the scent of her shampoo. He was dizzy, even as he tried to breathe deeply of her. Nothing seemed bad enough to care about, not Kakashi sneaking into his room, or how Neji was going to give them trouble for her sleepover, or how he had absolutely no control over his limbs. It was all fine. Excellent in fact, with her in his arms and her voice trying without much effort to remain in some semblance of control.

Her trembling body against him however suddenly sparked a few less drunk brain cells to action and something in his mind whispered a warning.

 _Slow down._

He had not realized how heavily she was breathing, how pink her face was, the rose splotches along her skin dripping down her neck and collarbone and into the folds of her shirt and sweater. With a gritted teeth determination he breathed in hard, holding her tiny face in his hands in order to keep his fingers from wandering.

After several deep breaths she finally opened her gray eyes, dazed in a way he found adorable and appetizing.

"...I had...wanted to say something..." she admitted slowly, pressing her cheek into his palm as her eyelids fluttered heavily. "...but I cannot remember at all."

"Something about leaving." He wasn't sure himself but he was proud of the fact he sounded almost calm.

"Probably." Her reply was uninterested.

"...maybe something about your cousin?"

This had the desired effect of washing some of the drunk expression from her face. "Oh no." Wrinkling her nose she pressed her forehead to his collarbone. "Neji-nii."

He stood there with her in his arms, his hands on her hips, feeling every curve and the silk of her hair against his face wondering if he was ever going to get used to it. He couldn't imagine it ever not inspiring his heart into rabbit fast beats.

"Okay, I am going to go and deal with that." She began, sounding more involved in the process of speaking now. "And then I will see you?"

She could feel the smile on his face against her forehead. "Yes."

"Okay. I can do that then."

"Hinata?"

She should have been getting her things together, including her books covered in Hell-No Cats and her cell phone. Probably she should have been planning a call to her father, and dealing with Neji but she didn't want to move.

"Hm?"

"...I..." He stopped, surprised when so much was pouring out of him that the words most important would still tangle themselves up in his vocal chords. Hearing the weight to his voice however Hinata looked up at him, gray eyes a mesmerizing and thought derailing pair of gems in her face.

A knock on the window made them jump and squinting into the bright light of the sun Hinata gasped and Sasuke growled deep in his throat. Kakashi grinned at them from the window, camera raised.

"Say cheese!" His muffled voice called through the glass and the flash went off.

"I'm going to go." Hinata stated, grabbing her bag, scarf and shoes as Sasuke ripped open the window to climb out. Socked feet be damned, he was getting that camera so help him God.

"I'll call you." He shot over his shoulder before diving out into the frigid morning. Hinata grinned despite herself, and headed out quickly before she was caught in another photo shoot.

* * *

Unsure of what she was about to face Hinata stared at her door, twisting her mouth first one way and then the other as she thought, rocking her weight back to her heels and then forward to her toes as she adjusted her sweater with trembling fingers.

"Hm." she mused, cocking her head to the right. It was quiet in there. Almost silent but she could hear the soft steps of someone inside. If Neji wasn't such a quiet person she might have thought for sure it was just Tenten but she had come back before to find both her best friend and her brother in the room in different corners reading or studying in silence before and this seemed like the perfect trap to get her to walk into this particular morning.

Blowing out a breath that made her bangs dance she straightened her shoulders and setting her jaw moved to walk in. There was nothing for it. She had to face them eventually. Might as well get it over with.

Turning the door knob and opening the door made her aware that the hinges needed to be oiled and the door knob was rather stiff. Peering inside she blinked slowly in the brightness of the morning sun as her eyes adjusted from the darkness of the hall.

Scanning quickly she sighed at once relieved and sickened by the sight of Ino, Sakura and Tenten lounging all over the room. At least there was no Neji.

Tenten had her homework spread all over the floor by the couch, head down at a textbook and Ino was doing her nails on Hinata's made and unused bed, even though Hinata had asked her many times not to do that because of the smell. On Tenten's bed Sakura lay reading a novel.

No one looked up as Hinata stepped inside and closed the door by leaning her shoulder blades against it, gray eyes flickering from each of her friends and their uninterested faces slowly.

 _Am I in a different dimension maybe?_

She swallowed and stood awkwardly for a moment, a frown coming to furrow her brow slowly while she removed her back pack and jacket from her shoulders.

"...good...morning?" she finally began, breaking the quiet. Sakura's green eyes flickered from her novel to her and then back. "Oh, hey Hina." she smiled.

"Yo!" Tenten waved without turning around, eyes still intent on her textbook.

Ino didn't say anything, continuing to brush a dark purple tinge onto her nails slowly, eyes focused and tongue stuck out for good measure.

With narrowed eyes Hinata walked towards her closet, nervously keeping her eyes on them and her back to the wall as she reached for fresh clothing to wear after she showered.

The stillness continued, nerve wrecking and building with pressure with every passing second.

"Um..." Hinata began again, stepping slowly back towards the door, her clothing and towel pressed firmly to her chest. "Tenten? D..do you know where Neji-nii is this morning?"

Tenten shrugged lightly, face still turned away.

"Hm." Hinata took the door knob. "Okay..?" and when she finally turned the knob in her hand Ino shot to her feet, eyes blazing.

"Hinata Hyuuga!"

"Ino!" Sakura chided.

"What is wrong with you!?" Tenten gasped, not at Ino but at Hinata who was now staring at them with ever widening eyes.

"Tenten! We said we would let her start the conversation!" Sakura cried.

"But she's leaving!" Ino shouted, scrambling over Tenten's bed towards Hinata who pressed herself hard against the now firmly shut door.

"Yeah! I didn't think she was going to just _leave_ without saying anything!" Tenten threw her hands in the air. "I mean seriously!"

"I-I..." Hinata gasped as Ino took her shoulders and gave her a shake. "Spill! You slept over! You sly girl you!"

"No!" Hinata gasped, shaking her head fervently, suddenly more at peace now that they were behaving less like zombies and more like her friends, despite the discomfort. "No, I- well... no, I did sleep over- but NOT like that!"

Sakura was bouncing on the bed, flapping her hands furiously in her favorite imitation of a bird. "Oh god! I am gonna cry!"

"This girl needs lingerie! We're going shopping." Ino began, as though she were a general in a war, gathering her purse.

"Slow down." Tenten sighed, dragging the blonde backwards and setting her on the bed with the still flailing Sakura whose eyes were in fact getting wet and glittery with tears.

"We didn't- I didn't- we're not-" Hinata tried to start, following Tenten leading her by the hand to the couch and allowing her to push her down onto it by the shoulders.

"Are you together now?" Tenten asked, because if she didn't then Ino would and Ino's questions would be less G-rated.

"Yes." Hinata began, then blanched. "I'm... I'm... I'm with-"

"You're Sasuke's girlfriend!" Sakura was flapping her arms even harder now with excitement, green eyes a glittering mess of happy tears. "We can go on quadruple dates and our boys are all friends-"

"Neji." Tenten intercepted with a sigh to point out that actually no, it wasn't all rosy, although that didn't stop Sakura.

"-and we can all hang out together and no one will be left out and it'll be so fun!"

"We never felt left out before." Tenten scoffed, speaking for herself and Hinata who wasn't sure she agreed but didn't say anything. Instead she just stared at Sakura, realizing what she was saying.

"I'm... Sasuke's...

"Girlfriend." Ino nodded, pronouncing slowly, as though teaching her a new word in a foreign language. "Girl...Friend. Say it with me."

Tenten's eye roll followed her fist coming down lightly on Ino's head. "Don't be a brat."

"Girlfriend." Hinata complied anyway, staring back at Ino's blue eyes with mild disbelief. Then flinching she looked at Tenten. "I have to call my dad."

"You have to call Neji." Tenten snorted slightly. "Thanks to you I was up all night receiving calls and texts asking if you were back. I think Lee may have given up and actually sedated him."

Hinata reached for her phone in her pocket only to start as it rang and jumping up she stared at the name on the call screen.

"Hey- that's your phone. Did you get your phone back from-" And Tenten slowed suddenly, her mouth falling open. "Wait."

Hinata blinked at her repeatedly, distracted by the name Itachi Uchiha on her phone screen.

"Wait- was Sasuke...?" Tenten's eyes were ever widening.

"I have to take this call." Hinata replied, nodding hard before rushing out the door.

"Wait!" Sakura gasped. "You have to talk to us!"

And Hinata slammed the door on their faces, holding the door knob while Ino and Sakura tried to open it to come after her, pinning her phone to her ear with her shoulder she picked up. A little breathless as she gasped. "Hello?"

 _"Oh I'm so glad to hear it's you, Hinata. I was worried Sasuke was going to pick up."_

"Ah." Hinata allowed nervously, using both hands now and one foot on the door frame to keep the door closed and her friends from overwhelming her from the other side. Trying not to grunt or make other embarrassing noises she added. "Hello, Uchiha-san. What... um...what can I do for you?"

 _"You sound rather distracted."_

"I... I have my hands a little full..." She admitted, clenching her jaw and pushing hard with her leg to keep the door shut and the door knob from turning. On the other side Sakura and Ino's voices shouted at her to let them out.

 _"Sounds like it. Did the fangirls find you already?"_

Puzzled Hinata frowned, unable to contain a small grunt of effort as she heaved. "Uh... what?"

 _"Oh, that'll be fun when it happens. Never mind. You can handle it. Listen, I was calling about you and Sasuke."_

"Um... okay." Her breathing was getting heavy now. Ino and Sakura were no lightweights when it came to force and although she had the advantage of the door frame keeping the door anchored shut with her legs she was definitely breaking out into a sweat as they pulled.

 _"I was just wanting to let you know that I am very, very glad and also that I will be coming by sometime soon. We can do lunch again, I hope. I can bring baby pictures."_

"I'm... I'm glad... you're glad..." Hinata continued, confused and then added. "Baby pictures?"

 _"Of Sasuke."_

"Oh." And then with a wide audible grin. "Ohhh."

 _"Yes. I see you are as interested as I hoped you would be."_

"Yes. Please."

 _"Excellent. I_ _ **like**_ _you."_

Smiling now, despite Sakura and Ino's fingers getting around the edge of the cracked door Hinata let out a little laugh. "I... I like you too."

 _"Also, it would be good to chat about the law suit pending. Many birds one stone kind of a deal."_

"Yes... um... I'm going to have to go, Uchiha-san."

 _"Ugh, stop calling me that. That's my dead father. Please. Call me Itachi."_

Grinning now from ear to ear at the familiar disdain Hinata let go of the door knob, sending Ino and Sakura flying back with the sudden slack into Tenten with a crash, screams and giggles.

"Okay...Itachi."

 _"Fantastic. See you soon. I'll... leave you to whatever it is you're doing. It sounds like it's either a lot of fun or a lot of work."_

"Both." Hinata allowed, grabbing her discarded clothing and towel from the floor near the door while her friends struggled to their feet.

 _"Bye, Hinata."_

"Bye!" And as she hung up she sprinted down the hall, with her friends shouting after her before she locked herself into the bathroom, heart pounding and happy.

Even Neji's number coming up on her phone screen didn't get the grin to vanish from her face.

"Good morning, Neji-nii."

 _"Good morning? That's what you have to say? Good morning!?"_

And still she kept on grinning.

* * *

"You realize he does in fact have... _a lot_ of dogs right?" Naruto made a face as he stared at the apartment building where Kakashi lived. It was an old fashioned red brick and arches type of structure, and Kakashi, being rather successful in many things had an expensive flat at the very top.

"Are you scared of dogs?" Sasuke turned to look at him, a frown so permanent on his face Naruto had to wonder if maybe seeing him kiss a girl the night before had just been a happy dream about his room mate turning out to not be a monster.

"Uh. No." Naruto cocked his head.

"Well then there's no problem. Let's go." He started towards the side of the building to climb the fire escape and Naruto hung his head back in distress and exasperation. "UGH. Sasuke. It's just some pictures."

"Okay, let me just tell you this one thing. If he has pictures of me and Hinata." And Sasuke shuddered internally against the bitterness of the words on his tongue. "Don't you think that he maybe has pictures of you and Sakura?"

Naruto had grown still beside him as Sasuke pulled the metal staircase down with a grunt and a lot of metal clanking.

"You're lying." He finally murmured, his eyes narrowed at his friend. "You're bullshitting like there's no tomorrow."

"Tch." Sasuke grumbled, taking the first few rungs of the ladder to start climbing. "Whatever helps you sleep at night."

"But... but when would he have- no." Naruto shook his head and crossed his arms. "He's not that weird. He wouldn't..." He paused, trying to remember the first time he and Sakura showed up at Kakashi's coffee shop as a couple. It had been a busy evening at the cafe and he was pretty sure Sakura had looked like a magazine cover come to life because he had barely had the guts to look at her most of the night without getting uncomfortably warm.

He had been distracted and Kakashi had been entirely too kind. Always coming by to ask how they were doing and chatting with Sakura and then leaving and coming back...

"Aw shit." Naruto snapped, climbing up the ladder after him angrily. "That perverted bastard."

"I told you."

"No, see. I don't appreciate that because let's be honest. Ignorance is bliss in this case and you ruined that for me."

"Whatever." Sasuke grumbled, climbing up and up past windows as quickly as he could without looking into anyone's apartments.

"How did you even find out about them anyway?" Naruto continued.

"I saw him take them this morning and he took off before I could catch him. I will give him this, the bugger is fast." This was not said as a compliment but with the same venom reserved for mass murderers who are particularly skilled in their dark art.

"True." Naruto admitted, glancing down and feeling suddenly rather sick. "Ugh. Why does he have to live on the top floor."

"Probably because of the vast number of people wanting to break into his apartment for pictures he takes of them without permission- what the hell is it with that anyway?" Sasuke was rambling, a thing he was decidedly not known for doing. "I mean why?"

Naruto made a face, keeping his eyes on the next rung up the ladder and trying not to think about the sudden cold gust of wind that was ruffling his hair. "I think it's innocent. But creepy. I don't think he _does_ anything with it. Maybe it's something to black mail with?"

"You are decidedly a more positive person than I am." Sasuke muttered, glancing up to see several more floors reaching upwards into the brightness of the blue sky. He could name a lot of places he would rather be- although one being the most important (wherever Hinata was) on such a beautiful day.

However, sometimes a man had to do what a man had to do.

"If we die on this quest..." Naruto began slowly, wincing at the very rusted metal rungs that decorated the dark ladder. "...would it be in the name of a worthy cause? I don't know if I feel like that's true, you bastard."

"We're past halfway. Don't be a wuss."

As he finished that sentence something wet and slimy slopped to a stop on Naruto's hand from above and staring at the congealed clear liquid he grunted, hard. A sound like being hit in the gut.

Frowning Sasuke looked down at him. "What?"

"What the fuck is-?"

"Hey, boys!" Kakashi's voice was pleasant from so high up, his joyful eyes half moons over his cheek bones. "How goes this beautiful Saturday?" Together with half a dozen dogs he leaned out his apartment window, one of the dogs panted heavily, his slobber sliding thick and glittering in the light.

Sasuke and Naruto glared up at him from the ladder, their expressions an impressive set of death via ocular emotion.

"Ooh. Not well, I see." Kakashi continued. "Too bad."

"You old perverted weirdo." Naruto shouted. "Hand over the pictures of us with our girlfriends!"

"Pfft." Kakashi chuckled merrily. "Why in heaven's name would I have any of that?"

Sasuke's expression was all of the terrifying scenes in the Exorcist rolled into one. "I'm not going to ask again. Hand over the photos or I'm going to-"

Kakashi lifted a phone then to his ear, chatting amiably. "Yes officer. There's two men scaling my building. One looks like the stupid blonde crony type... yes... but the other one... Yes. The other one looks decidedly..." Kakashi studied Sasuke for a moment as he thought. "He just looks evil, to be honest. I have a very bad feeling. I don't think it's a break in. I think it's something much worse."

From below Naruto's voice reached to Sasuke's ears in desperation.

"I am entirely too young and good looking to go to jail, man."

"Fuck." Sasuke hissed, starting the climb down much faster than he went up. "Go, go, go."

"Mhm." Kakashi continued from his window while his dogs remained eerily unmoving while they watched the two boys scampering back down the fire escape. "Yes, blonde, blue eyed. College kid, I'd say."

They were almost to the second floor when Sasuke stopped, hearing the two tone ring of his cell phone in his pocket going off.

"Damn." He slammed to a stop, hanging on the ladder one handed while Naruto continued to careen onwards, not even bothering to look back up at Sasuke in his panic.

Glancing at the phone he pulled out of his pocket Sasuke paused. There was no way to describe the plummet of his mood. He had hit a new darkness, another universe of foul as he stared at the ringing cell.

"For the love of..." He whispered and sighing deeply focused for a moment on Hinata's smiling face, the way her breath had hitched as he explored her throat and then clearing his throat picked up.

"Hello, Mr. Hyuuga."

From below a startled sound like a dog being kicked made him look at Naruto who was looking back at him with the same terror Sasuke was keeping in control like he would a brawler at a bar fight with a boot to the throat.

 _"Mr. Sasuke Uchiha. I hope you have a moment to spare. Is this a bad time?"_

Somewhere in the distance the sound of a siren echoed and Sasuke breathed in deeply to remind himself that the likelihood of Kakashi actually calling the police on them was rather low. Not as low as he would like, but low overall.

Certainly lower than Sasuke's chances at a heart attack from the phone call he was currently holding.

"Not at all, what can I do for you, Mr. Hyuuga?"

 _"I have just hung up with my daughter and she has informed me that you have asked her to...enter into a relationship with her."_

Sasuke stopped mid-step down the ladder again and closed his eyes, feeling his phone vibrate frantically against his head not once, but five times in a row with growing panic.

Before the silence stretched too long he grappled with the shaky knees of his vocal chords and replied. "I have. I hope that is not something you are displeased with."

The pause allowed him to glance at his phone screen to see the five texts were from none other than Hinata. Half visible messages flickered on his screen.

 _ **So sorry, my father is probably going to...**_

 _ **Neji-nii also told me that he wants to...**_

 _ **I tried to stop them both but sometimes...**_

 _ **I really hope you see this before they...**_

Smirking a little despite himself Sasuke took another step down the ladder.

 _"I appreciate your frankness."_ Hiashi's voice was cold as marble but then Sasuke was not surprised. He had little experience with fathers and the little he did have was of his own, a man who was made out steel and repressed ferocity.

"I would not hide something so important." Sasuke replied simply and the grunt in reply was neither negative nor positive.

 _"I understand you have been helpful in the situation regarding the Akatsuki Fraternity. And a young man named Sasori."_

It was getting difficult to keep track of what he was doing, the texts kept pouring in and Naruto was trying to tell him something.

With the wind whipping by his head he had just enough time to look up and see a slobber bomb come hurtling down from Kakashi's most drool-y dog. Biting his tongue to keep from cursing into the phone he pulled to the side and prayed that Hiashi couldn't hear Naruto's sudden sailor's rant at the splat of the slobber on his head.

"I just recommended the use of Uchiha Corp's lawyer team to assist if necessary."

 _"I understand there was a broken nose or two thanks to you recently as well."_

Again the tone hinted at nothing. He could have been frowning and looking stern or smiling and appreciative and Sasuke would not have known. Shifting uneasily on the ladder he glanced down to see Naruto wiping at his face in disgust and catching his eye pointed down.

Neji Hyuuga stood on the ground, hands on his hips glaring up at them.

From above Kakashi let out a little grunt and a "Oh shit." before withdrawing into his apartment and shutting the window.

"I won't deny that there was an altercation." Sasuke breathed in slowly, trying to calm his body into not spiking his adrenaline enough to make his limbs shake.

 _"I love my children, Mr. Uchiha. So I will not beat around the bush. I appreciate what was done. My nephew is a reliable source and I know him not to embellish. It would appear that at least for now you seem to be an adequate companion for my daughter."_

Sasuke stopped, allowing his face to twist into a frown bordering on a scowl. He didn't have to wait long for Hiashi to continue.

 _"Of course, very little is of a permanent nature in life so I will keep my eyes open, and my ear to the ground. She is after all my eldest, my heiress and if you know her at all... my gentlest."_

Without anything to add or retort to Sasuke allowed the man to sit in the silence.

Just as his brain was starting to think there was precious little more he could handle he jerked his foot away from Naruto's tug and looked down to see Kakashi talking to a pair of cops on the curb, pointing at them and laughing. Neji still had not removed his hands from his hips or the glare from his face.

And then his phone started buzzing like a swarm of bees. Gripping it tightly he glanced at the screen again and let his face slide straight to the scowl he had been restraining.

 **Itachi Uchiha: _Little brother I will be coming by later this week with baby pictures and I think your future father in law._**

 ** _Love you._**

 ** _What are you doing?_**

 ** _I talked to your girlfriend._**

 ** _If you break up she's mine._**

 ** _She was up to something, there was a lot of... sounds in the background._**

 ** _Sasuke?_**

 ** _Pick up the phone._**

 ** _Don't you want to know what kind of sounds?_**

 _"Mr. Uchiha?"_

"Pardon me, . I... had someone trying to get my attention."

 _"I was just letting you know that I will be coming later this week to discuss the law suit and to meet you and your brother as well. We are coordinating our schedules."_

Good lord.

This was it.

This was how Sasuke Uchiha died.

"I...am glad to hear it." He managed, and it only felt a little like swallowing battery acid.

 _"Excellent. Until then,"_

"Good bye, Mr. Hyuuga."

 _"Good bye."_

Hanging up Sasuke pressed his forehead against the rung of the ladder and closed his eyes, feeling the buzz of his phone one more time.

Dragging in air in a desperate drowning sort of way he glared at the screen, expecting another onslaught from his brother and there was one.

But among all the messages one stood out, three words he could hear said softly and covered in the soft pink of a blush.

 _ **I like you.**_

"I can do this."

"Uh. Maybe we should stay up here." Naruto added from below. They had finally reached the bottom floor and Neji Hyuuga was an unmoving unrelenting statue. Impression of a Glare would have been his artistic title and trying to keep his still shaky hands in check Sasuke hit the ground with a glance at the police getting into their vehicle with a wave at Kakashi.

"Hyuuga." He finally said, sighing it really. More exhausted than he had been in he couldn't even say when.

"Uchiha." Neji took a step towards him and both Naruto and Kakashi made squawking noises that reminded Sasuke of a gaggle of geese.

"Calm down." Neji shook his head at both of them. "The people you surround yourself with, honestly." He looked at Sasuke then. "I don't understand it."

"I've been trying to get rid of them for years. So far nothing has worked." Sasuke shrugged. "What do you want?"

"About my cousin." Neji took another step towards him and Sasuke let him, restraining the urge to shove his shoulders back a notch when he entered into his personal space. "You have to understand something about the Hyuuga family."

"They're close talkers?"

"Don't be a smart ass, it doesn't suit you. I mean that we are a large family and we take care of our own. She is not to be harmed. Or touched."

The disbelieving noise that Naruto and Kakashi made was more along the lines of a whoopee cushion. "Isn't that really her call?" The blonde pointed at Neji, and Kakashi was nodding sagely beside him.

Neji's look was a step from a skinning via his lingering gaze. Naruto shrugged and crossed his arms protectively. "Never mind."

"She cannot under any circumstances sleep anywhere but her dorm room again." Turning back to Sasuke he continued and Sasuke dragged in another breath, letting it out all at once without a word.

"Any breach of these rules and I will be forced to take action." Neji continued, finally making Sasuke squint a little.

"I'm getting the feeling you may have tried this on your cousin and found her response less than obliging hence you trying it on me."

Neji Hyuuga had found yet another thing that could make heat rise to his face and he realized as he strained to breathe deeply that Tenten was one and for a completely different reason Sasuke Uchiha was the other. Furious he clenched his jaw, feeling the blood pumping into his cheeks and neck despite himself.

Sasuke looked back, all nonchalance.

"I love my cousin. I'm actually doing you a favor. If you think _I'm_ bad." Neji scoffed. "Wait until you meet my Uncle."

This suddenly had Sasuke's eyes piqued with interest, cautious intelligent interest. "Hn."

"Follow the rules and he won't send someone to kill you."

"Seems kind of over the top." Sasuke volunteered coolly, quirking an eyebrow.

Neji frowned at him like he was trying to convince him two plus two equaled seven. "Why do you think Hinata has never had a relationship before?"

Sasuke let himself frown, just a little. "I figured your wonderful personality maybe dampened any ardor from anyone."

Neji smiled wide, which was worse than him glaring and made the hair along the nape of Sasuke's neck rise on end. "You _are_ naive." He raised his chin. "She seems to like you so I'm hoping some of the renowned Uchiha intelligence made it through the gene pool to you. Don't screw this up."

Puzzled now Sasuke stared some more, trying to figure out what was happening. He couldn't recall a time in his life that someone had pegged him as naive. It was strangely disorienting. Probably because it had been accompanied by a smile on Neji Hyuugas face. He might as well have said it while doing a handstand in a tutu.

"Don't you two start again." Kakashi's voice broke in, coming from around Naruto, making the two glaring men turn to look at him, breaking the extremely long eye contact finally.

"Oh, we're on the same page now. I believe." Neji replied straightening his jacket calmly with a dirty look at Sasuke.

"Oh." Kakashi replied, looking unnecessarily hysterical now. "Oh good. Here I was going to show you this picture I took of you glaring at each other to black mail you into stopping. Great, now I can save it for another time." He grinned and turned around, the photo in his hand moving to get tucked into his pocket.

In two seconds Neji, Sasuke and Naruto had him and the picture in their hands, looking at the image of the Hyuuga and Uchiha glaring at each other in the cafe.

Except that he had cropped it, and added hearts around it and in that tone it looked a lot more like a kiss was going to happen than a fist fight.

"What in all Hades." Neji gasped.

"Kakashi. God _damn_ it." Sasuke agreed.

While Naruto crowed with laughter and nearly wet himself the two of them were able to drag the protesting barista to his elevator and upstairs where confiscation of many photographs began.

* * *

 _ **Are there any other males in your family that I should be expecting a visit or call from?**_

 _I am so incredibly sorry._

 _ **No, it's okay. Neji's face is fine. No blood.**_

 _Ha._

 _ **And your father was kind of...**_

 _Really really polite?_

 ** _Unnervingly_** _ **so, yes.**_

 _I'm so so sorry. I would be second guessing myself so much right now if I were you._

 _ **I am not. Uchihas don't second guess.**_

 _You say that now... you have yet to meet my sister._

In the end they had to meet late at night. Hinata's attempts to sneak were giggled at by a sleepy Tenten who peered at her with one eye from her bed, smiling.

"Go on." She waved and rolled over with a yawn. "I didn't see anything."

Smiling sheepishly Hinata threw her jacket on and stumbled down the stairs.

They didn't meet on campus because avoiding another vein popping on Neji's forehead seemed especially important with coming in a few days to meet Sasuke and so it wasn't until she was down the street that she saw him in the light of the lamp post, hands in his jacket pockets, breath leaving clouds of fog that paused as he caught sight of her.

They didn't say anything, there was nothing to say. With their fingers tangled together they walked down the largely empty streets of a very early spring night until they were in front of 's cafe and pulling out a key that Sasuke had demanded at their last unfortunate interaction with the strange man they stumbled into the dark building.

Whispering they gathered mugs of coffee and tea, turned on a handful of lamps and lit the ancient stove to a roaring warmth before settling together on a couch, so much a single entity that it took a moment for Sasuke to figure out which heart beat he was listening to, his own or hers.

"...I'm sorry that today was so hectic with everyone." Hinata yawned. It had been such a very long time since she had felt quite this warm and quite this happy. Her life, although content had never had sparks of sunshine or rainbows. There was work, there was family pressure, there was the future in a corporation she did not want to join. It was strange seeing those things in her mind and thinking that, although not pleasurable they were minutely less important.

"Do you think it will continue this way?" Sasuke wondered how much of it he could take before he finally gave in and punched Neji in the face. Although at the end of the day he had figured as Neji Hyuuga went he had behaved rather well, it was still the first person he wanted to smack.

"I don't think so. They'll get used to it." She shifted a little and then added. "Are you happy?"

His smile was small, but potent.

"Yes."

Matching his expression albeit a little sleepily Hinata let herself close her eyes, if only a little. "The books is due on Monday right?."

"I handed it in already today."

"Oh!" Opening her eyes Hinata stared up at him as he looked down, curious. "You're my favorite person."

She meant it as a joke, as a thank you for taking care of the last thing on her mind, that being homework, but it came out heavy, the sentence dipped in gold. He bit his lip.

"I got you a new word." He had been saving it for a moment such as this, when words failed him and his heart was pounding to loud to let him hear his thoughts. Gray eyes brightening Hinata reached out to receive the card he pulled from the jacket slung over the couch arm, handing it to her without looking at her face.

The picture was of her, just her face in a smile, her head cocked a little and blushing furiously she traced the line of her plump lips on the sketch.

Flipping it over she unconsciously did the very thing she was doing on the sketch, cocking her head as she read the word.

"Oenomel." Softly because her voice was barely working she whispered, "Wine with honey, something both strong and sweet."

Unable to look at her he ruffled his hair. "I read the definition... and I thought of you."

Before he could say anything else to break the quiet crackling silence of the fire burning in the metal stove she was shifting from him, pulling herself abruptly onto his lap until he struggling to breathe, her hands sliding along his neck, her mouth desperate.

"I hope you know... I hope you know you're stuck with me." Her words were a gasped breath against his mouth between kisses, between snatches of air and trembling hands roving.

He didn't reply, too busy doing other things. Too busy smirking because of course, that had been the point.

Uchihas after all were rather exceptional at everything.

* * *

 _ ***throws weak ending and runs***_


	16. epilogue

_**This is the last thing for this story and it is officially over. I wish I could tell you that I am happy with the ending, but at least I am happy that most of you are happy:)**_

 _ **I have made the mistake of reading a lot of material on how to write stories. which in theory is helpful because you break down plotlines and get the mechanics of writing figured out.**_

 _ **HOWEVER now I can't seem to stop dissecting my own work and can't forget myself while in the process. :(**_

 _ **I'm hoping that will fade the longer I go without reading any more books on technique.**_

 _ **Much much love.**_

 _ **And yes, I am still working on Switch A Roo, Meet Cute and one day, hopefully very soon Paint With Words.**_

 _ **-Inky**_

* * *

 _ **Epilogue: 6 months later:**_

* * *

"Hina." Itachi's voice was sugar, honey and all things sweet and runny. "Aren't you a sight for sore eyes."

Sasuke's shoulders stiffened beneath her palm and despite feeling like it was bad form to be so pleased she let herself grin. "Itachi-nii!"

The airport was a hubbub of noise and juxtaposing emotions. Sadness at farewells and joy at reunions buzzed around them. Joining in the positive grins Hinata hugged Itachi warmly, and then ducked as Sasuke threw him a look that attempted to decapitate him instead.

"Little brother."

"You get more irritating the longer I know you." Sasuke replied simply, extending a hand to take his bag. Smiling still Itachi handed it to him. "Your insecurities are showing, tuck those back in."

"I got you a coffee." Hinata interrupted, taking Sasuke's hand on his other side and offering the latte to Itachi who beamed at her.

"I fall more in love with her every time."

"There it is. That's what the growing annoyance is." Sasuke muttered thoughtfully while Hinata wrinkled her nose at him despite her blush. They looked like quite a trio, all of them dressed in rather fine attire. Hinata was in heels and a black dress that made every inch of her look like it was a piece of art, accenting and highlighting everything that deserved more attention. Around her neck hung a simple string of tiny white pearls, a thing she only ever wore on special occasions as they had been her mother's.

Marching out the door they were met by the car Itachi had already hired before arriving and sitting in the vehicle with the air conditioner blasting Itachi pulled out his laptop, pointing at Sasuke.

"So."

"So." Sasuke replied, less than enthused.

"What are the projections for this quarter."

"Abysmal."

"Sasuke." Itachi gave him a look. "I need the real numbers, if this can't be charted and graphed and taxed as part of Uchiha Corp-"

"I didn't want it as part of Uchiha Corp. I wanted it to be my own."

"You are part of Uchiha Corp." Itachi pointed out lightly. "Hinata, talk some sense into him."

"Well... I rather agree-" And Itachi gave Sasuke a look that was a little on the smug side, "-with Sasuke."

At this Itachi balked, snapping his dark eyes to her. "Come again?"

"It's money that was left to him by Mikoto...not your father-"

"That doesn't-"

"Don't interrupt her, Itachi." Sasuke cut in, soft and almost like he was hardly paying attention as he looked out the window.

Itachi choked on his words in that instant, blinking back and forth completely blind sided by the sudden closing of ranks. Still looking sweet as a bumble bee Hinata crossed her legs and offering a weak smile said, "The money Mikoto left for you and for Sasuke was not part of the Uchiha Corp. stock holdings. I figured, like Sasuke did that the using that to finance the art gallery would sever any connections to the company and allow for a lot more flexibility."

It took a few moments for Itachi to reply. He looked back and forth at the pair across from him, feeling a slow smile rise to his face even as he thought rapidly. It had been some time since the family had had the ability to argue without having to come to an impasse but since Hinata's addition it would appear that a last voice would be breaking off any stalemates.

And, despite any affection she obviously held for her new Nii-san, her loyalties were firmly and irrevocably on the younger Uchiha's side.

It was definitely high time for Itachi Uchiha to find himself a girlfriend. He wouldn't last long against two.

"By flexibility you mean complete disregard for business sense." He grinned and Hinata smiled back. "Art dealings are not always profitable within the first few years and to place the gallery in the same tightly regulated mandates of Uchiha Corp. off shoot projects would be very constricting and almost guarantee a failure."

Turning to Sasuke now Itachi tapped his chin with his pen. "We agreed that you would be doing this part time. This doesn't sound like a part time thing now."

"Oh, I will be doing it part time as well." Hinata cut in. Sasuke had not even bothered to look at his brother.

Itachi snapped his eyes back to the little Hyuuga and realized abruptly that she would likely not be a Hyuuga for much longer. Six months was long enough for rather everyone who knew them to see they were made of the same stuff, two shooting stars on a trajectory that was destined to crash.

"I beg your pardon?"

"The gallery is part gallery part publishing house." Hinata's grin only grew as his eyes widened. "I'm it's in-house editor and agent."

"Hence why it can't be part of Uchiha Corp. We also had to turn down any attempts at control from Hyuuga Enterprises." Sasuke drawled, sliding his fingers to twine with Hinata's.

Itachi sat back, dumb founded. "When did you two brats do this?"

"That might be the first negative thing I think he's ever said about you." Sasuke smirked, ignoring his brother and turning to Hinata smugly. Hinata's mouth was a round pink O of surprise. "I think so!"

"You tricked me into agreeing to this thing two months ago under the pretense-" Itachi began, trying and failing miserably to work up a little bit of indignation although in reality he was rather proud. Within the parameters of anything in the Uchiha Corp umbrella Sasuke would have been limited to a very short time frame to work up a profit. He had been worried enough to try to dissuade his brother several times.

Now with a Hyuuga with him at the helm and the money coming from a completely unrelated source...

"Do you think he'll get it over it?" Sasuke continued, again ignoring his brother as the car stopped at the curb and he opened the door to climb out.

Pausing before pulling herself from the vehicle Hinata gave Itachi a look that was entirely too close to a big eyed puppy stare. "I'm sure he will." and promptly kissed his cheek.

Flushing crimson the elder Uchiha dredged up a mild scowl from somewhere in his repository of expressions for emergency situations.

"You two." He grumbled, but there was no bite and as they stepped into the blistering August sun he winced.

Wordlessly Sasuke let them towards the storefront, letting his brother pause to look at the sign for a moment, gazing at the elegant curves of the writing, the sparse aesthetic intricate in the small metal work of the background.

"Frisson Gallery and Publishing." He muttered, eyeing the couple waiting patiently by the door. "Should I even ask why the name was picked? Will you tell me?"

Smiling Hinata shook her head and Itachi narrowed his eyes at her. "He's got you answering me because I won't argue with you, isn't he?"

"You always were a clever bastard." Sasuke smirked, and opening the glass door waved him inside with Hinata.

The gallery was a deep rectangle that veered at the back to the right in an L-shape. Black and white panels lined the walls, art work hung from the make shift maze of move-able dividers in pristine white or lavender and some hung from the exposed metal support beams of the ceiling.

It was almost too cool inside in comparison to the sweltering summer heat from the street and sighing with relief the pale elder Uchiha adjusted his suit jacket mildly. "At what time does the show get rolling?" He asked, glancing at his watch.

"Seven." Sasuke muttered, listening suddenly to the sounds of a voice he did not recognize coming from the offices at the back where he and Hinata worked on the publishing aspect of the business.

"I know the showing is not until seven." This voice was smooth, the elegance in the pronunciation and timbre undeniable even as it sharpened to cutting. "It's just my phone has died and I require you to please make a call to Miss Hyuuga to inform her that I am here early."

Standing at the weathered ebony desk was their secretary, wide eyed and clearly unsure of what to do with the girl who stood stubbornly before her.

The dark hair fell in a familiar way down her waist to her hips and despite the jeans she was in heels that rivaled Hinata's and a black blazer that somehow managed to put her in the same formal dress as them even though she wore jeans. Pulling a pair of elegant white sunglasses off her face the girl glanced back and then grinned. "Onee-chan!"

Hinata started, shocked, almost as much as Sasuke and Itachi were.

"Hanabi!"

In two seconds the girls were hugging and as Sasuke stared Itachi whispered. "They're related?"

It was undeniable that they were related, their hair, their gray eyes and their full mouths were the same. Even the shapes of their faces and the bones beneath had a familiar sort of grace that made Sasuke blink rapidly to clear his confusion.

And he was confused, because although they seemed incredibly similar everything Hanabi Hyuuga was giving off was exuberant raw confidence, straight to the point. Giving her sister a last kiss on the cheek she walked purposefully to the boys watching with wide black eyes.

"Sasuke, I'm assuming." She grinned, hand extended. Her firm shake was as startling as everything else about her and Sasuke nodded. "That's me. You must be the little sister."

"The _better_ sister." Hanabi winked and Hinata stuck her tongue out.

"Whose this though?" Eyes turning curiously towards Itachi Sasuke blinked and stepped out of the way for her to shake his hand too. The surprise was not well hidden on Itachi's face. "I'm the better brother." He smiled, despite his momentary brain freeze.

Hanabi let out a chuckle. "Ah. You're Itachi then."

"Yes. That's quite a handshake."

Her smile took on a more steely vibe. "I like to let people know I'm really present."

"I am sure they wouldn't dream of forgetting."

Alarm was now flashing on Hinata's face like streetlights turning from yellow to red and Sasuke stepped up to his brother quickly. "Itachi, if you want to discuss numbers, now is the time before the caterers arrive."

"Right." Smooth, like he had not noticed Hinata's widening eyes or Hanabi's growing slyness Itachi nodded at the girls and turned to follow Sasuke past the now exhausted looking secretary busying herself with something at her desk.

"I'll just take Hanabi out for some lunch then." Hinata called, and Sasuke waved over his head in agreement. Making a quick exit the elder Hyuuga grabbed her purse and with more urgency than usual moved to get Hanabi out of the gallery, knowing all too well what those flashing gray eyes were saying.

Once outside on the street the girl let herself vent. "Wow."

"Shss." Hinata tried, walking rapidly down the sidewalk.

"Oh man. The genetics in that household."

"Hanabi."

"The babies you and that boy are going to have. I am going to have THE cutest nieces and nephews." She pressed her hands to her cheeks, eyes gleaming.

"Are you excited though? Are you nervous? You know, father was huffing and puffing about the publishing house for about a day and after Neji-nii talked to him I swear he couldn't stop bragging to anyone who would listen about how his eldest was starting her own business." She winked. "Did you get Neji to make that play? Seems awfully sly for you."

"I most certainly did not." Hinata gasped, and then more earnestly. "Was he really bragging? Really? The way the conversation went I thought he might disown me..."

"Pfft." Hanabi laughed and squeezing her sisters hand sighed deeply. "He's happy. I think he might buy a painting or two today." She grinned. "It helps a lot that Neji just informed him he plans on asking Tenten to marry him next summer. He's in a great mood. And looking for wedding gifts. Win, win."

Hinata's smile couldn't get much bigger.

"So he did it."

"Oh man, THEY'RE going to have the cutest babies too!" Hanabi took a deep breath and looked about ready to burst. "So many cute babies!"

If Hinata had known what was being discussed in the offices of Frisson Gallery and Publishing House maybe she wouldn't have chided Hanabi to pipe down about nieces and nephews so soon because sitting in the office with his hands in his pockets Sasuke was letting Itachi study a little velvet box with wide eyes that were maybe a little wet.

"Aw damn." He laughed, rubbing at the corner of his eyelid. "Here I said I wouldn't do this."

"It's so strange that you have international titles in tae known do." Sasuke muttered, amused despite himself. "Yet here you are, crying."

"I'm not crying, it's one tiny tear. And also, it's joy not pain- you heartless monster." Itachi laughed again and stood, grabbing his brother in a hug that he didn't ask permission to give.

"Congratulations you little bother."

"Well, she has to say yes first." Sasuke grunted, trying to breathe in the strangle hold.

"Pfft. It's a done deal. How's Naruto taking it?" Itachi pulled back and Sasuke made a face. "Ah... he's a little worried since he and Sakura have been together longer, ya know?"

Itachi shrugged and tried not to look too pompous. "Uchihas do have a way of showing other people up."

"I tried to explain that."

"Other's don't get it."

And then they laughed because what else was there to do.

"One more Uchiha." Itachi grinned, glancing at the box with the ring inside before snapping it closed and handing it over. "You'll both be done school, I guess? Next year this time?"

"No." Sasuke shook his head, stuffing his hands in his pocket with the ring his brother had handed back to him. "I think it'll be a winter wedding." And he shifted before shrugging a little shyly, something his older brother had not seen him do in some time.

"I think we'll probably serve hot sweetened wine."

Itachi seemed impressed. "You guys have been talking about what you'll serve already? I guess that yes isn't really far away then?"

"No, we haven't talked about it." Sasuke shook his head, pulling the box back out as though to remind himself he still had it, and that tonight at the gallery with all their friends and close family present he would ask the most terrifying question of his life. "I just know."


End file.
